The Demon Siblings
by Lord Retro
Summary: HPxover Harry apparates himself to Konoha at the age of 6, where he befriends Naruto and Hinata. They train with Kyuubi to become powerful before Harry receives his Hogwarts letter. How will the wizarding world handle Harry the ONI ANBU? NiceKyuubi
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and J. K. Rowling respectively

It was a rainy afternoon at number 4 Privet Drive. Grey clouds filled an already gloomy looking sky as thick sheets of water drenched Surrey. It had continued almost non-stop for the past several hours and the yards all had large pools of standing water. Petunia Dursley's flower bed was flooded, so that only the tops of the flowers could be seen, as it had been dug down lower than the rest of the back yard.

Inside the quaint two story house, which looked just like all the other quaint two story houses on the block, activity was at a minimum. Vernon Dursley, a rather large man, sat in the living room in his favorite chair. He was reading the days newspaper and nibbling on one of the cookies his wife Petunia had given him.

Petunia, a thin horse-faced woman, was in the kitchen, using the quiet of the afternoon to get some cleaning done while starting the beginnings of dinner for the evening. She had a roast slow roasting in the crock pot, and was mentally deciding whether or not to make her famous au gratin potatoes.

The other two residents of the house were a pair of boys. The older one was incredibly large for his size with blonde hair, while the younger was wiry thin with an uncontrollable mop of black hair. He also had a lightning bolt scar running across his forehead, which was currently hidden behind his bangs. The boys were cousins, but not exactly friendly with each other. The older, Dudley Dursley, was always doted upon by his parents, and had ended up spoiled and fat. The small boy was one Harry Potter, orphaned when he was a baby and raised by his mother's sister, if you could call his meager possessions, hand me down clothes, and undernourishment "raised". He was regularly used as a punching bag by his cousin, and had several scars and wrongly-fused bones to prove it.

Today, however, Dudley had been given strict instructions to be nice to Harry, if only because it was required to keep the peace and quiet the adults were enjoying in the house. Dudley complied as best he could, and the two were currently watching a movie in Dudley's second bedroom. As it was "as best he could" it meant that Dudley was sitting in a very beat up recliner (that had been new when he got it last year) munching on a fresh bowl of popcorn his mother had delivered, while Harry was forced to sit in the wardrobe and watch the movie through the opening, to ensure that as little of him as possible was in his cousins vision.

The movie had been going on for about an hour, and Harry was completely enthralled. He wasn't quite old enough, at just over 6 years old, to understand the plot, but he did know what kind of people were on the screen: Ninjas. The fighters on screen were destroying their opponents with flashy moves and cheesy voice dubbing, but still the young man loved it. He wanted so badly to mimic the actions on screen, but the one time he did, Dudley had heard the commotion from the closet, punched him, and leaned on the door for a while to ensure that he couldn't see. It had taken a few minutes before Dudley once again retreated to the softness that was his chair, allowing Harry to watch again.

Unable to resist any longer, he began to QUIETLY mimic the moves again, moving slowly to ensure that he didn't make too much noise. Unfortunately for him, his coordination was hindered by the coats and shirts, and he fell out the semi-open door. Dudley, much like the previous time, punched Harry with all of his might, kicked him back into the closet, and, using a ruler that was sitting on the desk nearby, shoved it inside the handles to ensure that it couldn't be opened again.

Harry sat in darkness, wondering when his cousin would let him out. He tried to beg forgiveness, but it was met with Dudley punching the door. So he curled up into a ball in the corner, as far from the opening as he could, and thought. He wanted to know why he had to live this way, with no friends, family that barely tolerated his existence most days, and having to watch day in and day out as his rotund cousin was given anything he wanted so long as he whined and begged enough first. The single time Harry had tried to get things like Dudley, it had earned him a lashing with his uncle's belt and he had spent a week in the cupboard under the stairs with a small amount of food given to him each evening before his aunt went to bed, leftovers from dinner that night.

As he sat there, he began to think about the movie he was missing. He remembered how the ninjas had never had to ask for anything. They took what they needed and hurt anyone who stood in their way. They didn't have to do the majority of chores in the house, or watch as others got spoiled rotten while they were neglected. They were powerful and in charge. _I wish I was a ninja. I wish I was a ninja. I wish I was a ninja._ Harry repeated this mantra over and over in his head, until suddenly a great pressure covered his body.

Dudley, who was enjoying the last of his movie, spilled his popcorn when there was a loud **CRACK** from the wardrobe. His father came running upstairs, red in the face, and demanded to know what that bloody noise was. Dudley just looked at the cupboard he had locked Harry into. Vernon removed the ruler and peered inside. There, on the floor of the wardrobe, was nothing but an old pair of shoes that had been pushed aside for the comfort of the one who HAD been sitting in there.

A/N With the way I write, it will be a bit before the next chapter is up. However, don't fret, as chapter 1 is almost done already and sitting at just over 7000 words. Chapter 2, however, will take some time.


	2. Chapter 01

I will start by letting you know that both Naruto and Harry will be smart in this fic. Maybe not extreme book smart like Shikamaru, but definitely a cut above their peers. The main continuity I'm going to change will be Tsunade and Shizune. They will not be permanently gone from Konoha, but instead will leave whenever it gets too much, gamble their money away, return and work to make more money, then repeat the process. She also does NOT have her fear of blood. That said, I will try to stick to canon as much as I can, but please don't harp on me if I deviate. I've read the manga up through chapter 356, and have a decent grasp on what happens beyond that, as well as knowing Naruto's parents.**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and J. K. Rowling respectively

"_Speaking English in a Japanese Setting_"

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The sun shone brightly over the Fire Country on the beautiful summer day. There were large white clouds drifting on the slight breeze across the sky. The smell of flowers from the field drifted towards the open window of the tallest building in Konoha, the Hokage Tower. Several bird songs could be made out, creating a very peaceful atmosphere inside the large office. A weary old man sat behind the desk, reclining in his chair and gazing towards the heavens. His red hat perched upon his head, and a pipe clenched between his teeth, he pondered a few of life's mysteries, enjoying the bit of relaxation before he would have to return to his hectic world.

The Third Hokage had just closed his eyes to take a short nap when the door was opened without warning, as two Chunin, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, entered, a small boy between them. The Hokage looked up at them, then noticed the boy and smirked. "What did he do this time?"

Kotetsu stepped forward. He was an 18 year old man with wild black hair. He kept most of it out of his eyes with his forehead protector. He had rectangular markings on both of his cheeks, as well as his chin, and he wore wrappings across the bridge of his nose and across the sides of his face. Looking at the small boy, he answered his leader. "3 hours ago, the Jounin lounge suffered extensive cosmetic damage when multiple paint bombs went off during a meeting. All the Jounin present were covered in paint. He's lucky that we caught him before they did, as they were screaming for his blood. Also, we failed to alert them of his capture to ensure he could be brought here safely." He stepped back and stared at his captive.

The Hokage smiled. "So that's what that ruckus was. I was beginning to think he might have gotten away with it this time. So, before I deal out a punishment, what have you learned Naruto?"

The six year old boy, who had been standing in a very guilty fashion, straightened up at the sound of his name. He put on one of his trademark grins and said, "Jounin don't like pastel colors. Next time I'll try more earthy tones. Also, I need to work on my placement to ensure maximum dispersion, as not everyone was as evenly decorated as I would have liked."

Kotetsu and Izumo stared in disbelief at the boy. He wanted to try that again? The aura coming off the painted Jounin's was so strong that even they had cringed, and he wanted to make it bigger? Who was this kid? They both knew of course _what_ he was, but they had had it drilled into them by the Hokage that the two beings were separate entities, though not everyone felt that way. They had gotten a lot of pity looks when they were assigned his personal "sticks-in-the-mud" as Naruto called them. It was their job to make sure he stayed out of trouble and that he got enough to eat and the like. In reality, all they did was chase after him post prank, and keep his fridge stocked. He refused everything else, even clothing shopping, which had resulted in the hideous orange monstrosity he was currently wearing. Not that it was completely his fault on his clothing; it was the only thing anyone in the city would sell him. Every other store, from book stores, to clothing stores, to grocery stalls in the market place refused to serve him. Heck, some people even refused to serve them it they thought their wares might end up in the hands of the "demon boy".

Izumo stepped forward next. He, like his partner, was 18, and had black hair that covered the right half of his face. He wore his forehead protector like a dew-rag, the fabric covering the top of his head. "Sir, what are we to do about punishment. Also, could we get some backup on this mission? I know he's just a boy, but he can avoid even Jounin when he wants to. The only reason we catch him is because he knows we won't hurt him." He spared another glance at his charge, who was smirking matter-of-factly at him. "I'm afraid this might be the end of the Kamizuki line, simply because I'm now afraid to have children."

The Hokage laughed loudly and stood up from his chair. Walking around the large desk, he stopped first at Izumo. "Don't you worry about your family line just yet. You're still young." He put his hand on his shoulder for a moment, and then moved on to Naruto. "Now, young man, it isn't nice to play pranks like this, especially when your targets are Jounin. I will think of a punishment for you later, but for now you are to go home and stay there for the rest of the day." Turning his attention back to the two Chunin, "Please escort him home, you are dismissed."

Izumo wanted to argue for additional help, but they knew that bringing it up now would only end in flat-out refusal. He was confident the Hokage had heard his request and would consider it. Turning towards his young charge, "Come on, Naruto. Let's get you home and put some food in your belly." With that the three left the room.

Sarutobi smiled to himself. The little bugger was smart, that was for sure, and he had an uncanny ability to avoid detection or elude capture on any turf he was familiar with, which was unfortunate for anyone chasing him in the village, as he knew it like the back of his little hand. But how do you punish someone that's already being unfairly punished by almost an entire village? This was going to take some pondering. He walked back to his chair and sat down gently. He turned to look out the window again.

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Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office at Hogwarts, surrounded by the swirling, whirling, and moving contraptions he so loved to collect. He had been pondering this and that, which entered his head as a ponderable and left his head complete. However, his thoughts drifted back towards one Harry Potter, and he was stuck on what to do. He knew that the boy had the potential to be a powerful wizard, but he also knew, from his brief glimpses into the Dursley's home and from the handy pocket watch he carried, that Harry's life had only gotten worse after his parents death.

He had hoped that Lily's sister would have taken care of the boy like a son, knowing full well that Lily had never asked anything of Petunia save coming to her wedding since she had come of age. It was the least she could do, Dumbledore thought. He had hoped that she would see past his heritage and view him as family. He had hoped incorrectly, as his first visit to the boy had ended with Dumbledore rudely kicked out of the house the moment he mentioned Harry's name. He took to a more subtle approach, and through a nearby squib, Arabella Figg, discovered that the boy was treated like an outcast. He had to do more than a child's share of chores, as well as sleeping in a cupboard. He had been beaten for things that were completely out of his control, and was a favorite punching bag of his rotund cousin.

After that, Dumbledore had created this pocket watch, which showed the state of Harry's well being at any given time. It was linked to the wards surrounding the Dursley's house, and he had it set to alarm him if it ever dropped into danger zones, as well as indicating where he was, for quick rescuing. Dumbledore pulled the watch from his pocket and gazed at it. It had been sitting on "Barely Managing" since he had created it, save a few times it dipped lower during a severe beating. It was hard not to rush to his aid every time it dropped, but the boy had to learn to deal with hardships. He had told himself that if it ever stayed there for longer than a few moments, which it never had, that he would intervene then.

As he inspected the details, it gave a sudden alarm, indicating a change, but it wasn't one like he had received during the beatings. This was an odd sound he had never heard before. The watch told him two things. "Status: Unknown. Location: Unknown". He knew it had a setting for death, so the boy had to be alive. Obviously, powerful magic was working to block him. Worried, he quickly apparated to the Dursley's, disappearing in a **CRACK**.

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His Chunin guards dropped Naruto off at his apartment, and then, after many assurances from the boy, left him alone for the evening. They figured they'd check on him around dark to see if he'd stayed at home, and their night would be done. Happy at the thought of a free evening, they made their way to the training grounds to get their workout complete so they could enjoy the nightlife of Konoha guilt free later.

Naruto had been smiling and waving when his sticks-in-the-mud left him, but shortly after the door shut, his goofy smile vanished and his normally bright eyes dimmed considerably. He was lonely, and who could blame him. Every parent in the village made sure to keep their children away from him. He'd get to playing with boy or girl in the park, something innocent like the sandbox or the swings, and as soon as their parents saw who their kid's playmate was, would snatch them away and scold them. Then Naruto would receive the dead stares that seemed so cold and yet so full of hate. He was only a boy of 6, and barely so. He had no idea why he wasn't allowed any friends when he clearly saw the same children playing together with any other child from the village.

He had used to cry when someone took his playmates away. They had allowed him to escape from the crushing feeling of emptiness he felt, and with them gone, the empty feeling returned with a vengeance. He saw that the looks he normally received intensified when he cried, so he showed a strong face until he got home, then he'd cry until he was out of tears into his pillow. Recently, he had learned that even crying couldn't make him feel better, and had vowed to never cry again. So far, he had kept his word, and although it didn't make his despair any better, he did find he had more time on his hands, time he had devoted to learning the subtle art of pranking.

While searching the woods around Konoha one afternoon, about three months past, he had discovered a battered old scroll inside a dilapidated old hut. When he opened it, it was filled with details on how to make traps, tricks, ambushes, and how to do so secretly. It had been explained in layman enough terms that he could grasp the details on enough of them to already be known as a troublemaker. His latest stunt against the village Jounin, most of whom looked at him with the cold look he detested, like they were trying to negate his very existence, had been his most recent discovery. It had taken him a lot of work to figure out the instructions, but in the end it was worth it.

Realizing he had nothing else to do that afternoon since he was on house arrest, he decided to stretch, have a shower, and work on deciphering his next prank. Setting into the small routine his Chunin guards had shown him, he worked the various muscles in his small body. Kotetsu and Izumo weren't bad guys. They may not always be happy with him, but they had never looked at him _that_ way before. They were some of the few people in the village that actually seemed to care for him, even if they didn't always show it. Sure, he didn't want to decline most of their help, but he didn't want to feel helpless. He'd lived his whole life on his own, so he liked the feeling of independence. That, plus because of their age difference, it was hard to be friends. Also, they were ordered to help him, so he didn't know if they just hated him less than the rest of the village or if they actually liked him. Finishing his set, he grabbed a towel off a chair and went into the bathroom.

**--------- **

**CRACK**

The Third Hokage looked up from his paperwork at the noise, instinctively grabbing a kunai from beneath his flowing robes. He made precursory scan around the room and discovered a small child huddled up on the floor. As soon as he noticed the boy, the doors to his office flew open, his ANBU guard ready to intercept any and all threats to their leader. One, with an eagle mask, pulled one of the swords from his back as he moved into a defensive position in front of the Hokage. The other guard, one with a panther mask, made a fast series of hand seals and prepared a jutsu to take down the threat. It had taken less than 3 seconds for them to both get in the room and prepare themselves and soon all eyes were on the small form huddled on the floor, seemingly unconscious. "I do believe I can handle myself against a small child. You may go," the Hokage ordered. The ANBU were reluctant to leave, but they did not question the orders of their superior.

After the door had shut, Sarutobi made his way to the small form in the fetal position, not moving, but obviously breathing, as he could hear the short, ragged breaths. With a soft smile, the man leaned down and picked the child up, noticing how incredibly light he was. A glance down revealed a pained expression on an innocent face, eyes clenched shut. He had a small mess of black hair that was barely covering a lightning-bolt shaped scar. The scar interested him, if for no reason other than he couldn't figure out what had caused it. He had seen many scars in his life, but none quite like this. It didn't quite have the characteristics of a blade wound, yet was far too even and exact to be from any accidental source.

He set the small boy, he was almost positive it was male, down on the couch by the wall and pulled up a chair to wait for him to regain consciousness. He was worried about the child's well-being, but decided to wait for an examination until he was awake, if only to avoid frightening him if he woke up in the middle. Sarutobi loved children, and he was concerned about the lack of weight on the boy. Judging by looks, he was in the 5-7 range, yet he weighed no more than the average 4 year old. It reminded him slightly of Naruto. This boy also lacked nutrition, and he prayed that it was hard times in his life, and not the maliciousness of another, like the case of the unsung village hero. The small body began to stir, so the Hokage put on his warmest smile to welcome him.

The boy scrunched his eyes shut even more, and brought one of his tiny arms up to block out the bright light coming in from the windows. He moaned softly, obviously recovering from some pain, and began to rub his limbs, as if they had had circulation shut off. While he was doing this, Sarutobi made his way to the windows and closed the curtains to save the boys eyes a bit. There was still the artificial lighting, but it wasn't as bright. He turned back to the boy and decided a greeting was in order. "Hello, my name is Sarutobi, what is yours?" The boy sat up in a flash at hearing a voice, his eyes wide open in terror as he jumped off the couch and curled up into a small ball in the farthest corner from him. "What is wrong, I am not going to hurt you." He put as much kindness into his voice as he could, an attempt to get a positive reaction out of him.

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make any noise. I promise I have no idea how I got out of the closet._" He looked up for the first time to see the person talking to him. Confusion clearly spelled across his face, he sat in the corner, wincing as though he expected someone to beat him.

The Sandaime was clearly not expecting this reaction. He felt a wave of anger that any child that small would react that way, as if it was a condition literally beaten into him. As he calmed his fury, he realized that although he understood most of what had been said, he realized it was NOT Japanese. Wracking his brain, he finally remembered it to be English, a language barely heard in this area of Japan, as the entire area was closed off to the outside world, a fact known only to the Daimyo's and Kage's, as well as Japan's Emperor. Very powerful genjutsu had been integrated on their land, effectively giving them a near bio-dome effect. They were immune to scrying from outside the illusions borders, and in fact were invisible unless one tried to interact with the space. Orbiting shuttles and planes saw only an expanse of ocean, while any boat coming within the borders would see only cliff faces, deciding to instead find somewhere else to sail. The land itself, the Hokage knew, was only 10 miles away from the northern most border of Japan.

Desperately trying to remember the little bit of English he knew, a second plan formed in his mind. A genjutsu little used in the area that worked quite well for translations. A rapid series of hand seals later, he tried approaching the boy again. "_Hello there. My name is Sarutobi. What might yours be?_" The look of confusion stayed on the boy, but his kind tone seemed to be helping. He wasn't shaking quite so badly.

"_My name is Harry Potter, sir._"

"_Well, Harry. I would like very much to speak with you. Would you like to move somewhere more comfortable, like one of the chairs, or perhaps the couch?_" When the boy nodded, Sarutobi slowly extended his hand, palm up, an invitation to help him get to his feet. However, when the boy saw a hand coming towards him, he flinched and backed away again. "_I promise I won't hurt you. I wish to help you. Would you like help standing?_" The boy looked at him again, and the Hokage noticed how vibrant green his eyes were, similar to the young daughter of the Haruno's. The boy then reached up tentatively and grasped the older mans hand, accepting the assistance to regain his footing. Once he was standing, Sarutobi gently removed his hand and gestured towards the seats in the room. The boy made his way cautiously over to the sofa he had woken on, and sat carefully on the edge, as if scared to put his whole body on the furniture. Taking up the chair he had abandoned moments before, he faced the boy. "_Well now Harry, why don't you tell me about yourself?_"

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**CRACK**

Dumbledore apparated to Privet Drive, appearing inside the basement of Mrs. Figg's house. It had been set up so he could come and go as he pleased without having to worry about other people seeing him appear. Magically changing his clothing to that of a well dressed business man, he stepped out of the hidden entrance and cautiously into the woman's home. It was decorated much in the same fashion it always had been, with the supposed eccentric items of an old widow. Pictures of family and cats, seemingly hundreds of crocheted items adorning anything that would hold them, and the heat was set incredibly high. The room he entered was dark, so he paused to call out for his friend. Hearing no response, he made his way to the front door and found it to be locked. Realizing she wasn't home, he opened the door, then turned and locked it again with his key, not wanting anyone to see him using magic. They had a cover story that he was simply an old friend, and the neighbors twisted it into her love life, so seeing him enter and leave at odd hours was explained away into gossip the next day.

Albus hurried down the street, moving as fast as he could without drawing too much unwanted attention. He reached number 4 and knocked loudly, fully prepared to force his way inside in a few moments. Fearing attack by a dark wizard, he had his wand at the ready in his pocket for quick drawing. A sudden noise of heavy weight running down the stairs reached his ear, and a moment later the door opened, revealing a purple faced Vernon Dursley. Vernon took one look at him and paled slightly before attempting to slam the door in his face. A silent Reductor Curse launched the door practically off its hinges as a furious headmaster walked in. Staring at the man who was both shaking in fear and attempting to be intimidating at the same time, his voice took a deep and menacing tone. "WHERE'S HARRY!" Once again the man tried to face him down, only to have things on the walls start rattling as Dumbledore's anger began to manifest itself in the very air around them. "WHERE IS HE?"

"I-I don't k-k-know," the terrified man managed to stutter out.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?" Dumbledore was generally a calm man, but the welfare of a young boy was at stake, especially a boy who was not only a hero and savior to an entire world, but was an integral part of his plans. "HE'S IN YOUR CARE, ISN'T HE?" As the man shook, Albus realized that this was getting nowhere. Willing his anger to subside, he faced the man again and said, in a much calmer voice, "Now, where did you last see him."

Realizing that the main fury was over, Vernon attempted to regain his composure. He shut the front door, which had been open during the wizards screaming, and noticed it didn't fit properly in the frame anymore. Getting it to stay shut with a combination of force and deadbolt, he turned towards the other man and replied "At least you look normal. Well, he was up here." He began trudging up the stairs towards Dudley's second bedroom. As he made his way into the room, he noticed his wife holding his son in the far corner of the room, eyes wide with terror after both hearing and feeling the anger from below. She had seen wizards in action before and did not want one mad at her, especially to that degree. "It's okay, Petunia dear. This kind man," he gestured to Dumbledore, who was just entering, "is just here to check on Harry's whereabouts." Turning his attention back to the headmaster, "He was in that closet when we all heard something that sounded like an auto backfiring. We came up and he was gone."

Albus wracked his brain for information about 'autos' and what they sound like backfiring. Realizing he knew too little in this field of muggle studies, he asked, "I'm sorry, but I am unfamiliar with the sound an auto would make backfiring."

This time it was the small boy in the corner who spoke up. "It was a really loud crack sound sir."

Realization struck him. '_A loud crack sound, does he mean the sound that goes along with apparating?_' "Boy, did it sound like this?" He then proceeded to apparate to stand directly next to the closet with a **CRACK**.

The boy stared at him with a sense of wonder and awe, after seeing a man vanish and reappear somewhere else instantly. "Yes sir, just like that. Does this mean that Harry can teleport?"

'_So, Harry apparated, hmm._' "Now, was it one crack or two? If it was two, it could indicate that someone kidnapped him, where one would indicate that he did it himself."

"One sir." He saw the strange man nod, and then turned to his mother. "I want to teleport, why can't I teleport. If Harry can, then I should too…"

Dumbledore quickly grew tired of the boys selfish whining, as he had another question. "Now, why was Harry in the closet in the first place?"

This time the boy stiffened. He thought a moment and then answered, "We were playing a game. He was hiding and I was going to find him. It was hide and seek."

"Oh, maybe you play it a bit differently here, but where I'm from, there usually isn't a movie playing or a bowl of fresh popcorn. That, and there are usually a few more hiding spots than just one in the room as well," Dumbledore said in a knowing tone. He had silently inspected the wardrobe while the boy was begging, and had noticed fresh shoe prints on the outside, scratches on the handles, and a metal ruler sitting next to it on the floor. As he stared at the boy he could see that the boy was desperately trying to come up with another lie. "Why don't you just tell me why Harry was locked in there?"

Dudley's heart sank. The man knew, somehow he knew. He looked at the floor and muttered, "We were watching a movie, but I didn't want to have to share with him, so I made him sit in there so I couldn't see him. When he made noise I got mad and locked the door so he couldn't see anymore. After a few minutes, that's when I heard the noise."

"Well, I remember doing things like that to my brother when we were young as well. Poor Aberforth, having me for a sibling," he mused for the boys comfort. He knew the boy had hit Harry, and had done so on many occasions. He had pulled it from his mind when they made eye contact, and had also implanted that he should tell the truth when speaking with him. It may not have been the whole truth he got, but it was enough to count. He turned towards the adults. "Now, you two will most likely be coming before the council to discuss the boys living arrangements and to deal out a suitable…conclusion." He watched the shock appear on the two adults faces.

"You don't mean…Azkaban, do you?" The woman, Petunia, asked. She had paled so much he was afraid she would faint.

"No, my dear. Although there will be some who push for it, I will not allow it, if only as a favor to your sister. Perhaps all that will happen is they will test Dudley's aptitude to see if any of your sisters talents wore off on him. It might give you a better appreciation for our world. But let us not talk about these things now, for that is the uncertain future. Be expecting a summons." With that last warning, Dumbledore vanished in a **CRACK**.

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It was early in the evening when Kotetsu and Izumo returned to check in on their charge. They had brought him some groceries and had even planned on having dinner with him, if only to show him that they cared for him. They knew he was a good kid, and they hoped that with enough attention, he might break out of the desperate "look at me" attention his pranks seemed to demand. They made their way up the rickety steps to the run down apartment he lived in. It wasn't the greatest, but it was shelter, and the boy defended it as his own, even refusing the offer to live with one of his two Chunin guards.

They knocked on his door, expecting to hear the excited footsteps they always did. When, after a moment, not a sound was heard, they got worried. "Little punk must have skipped out on his punishment. Well, let's go and put the food away before we search for him," Kotetsu reasoned. He tried the door and to his surprise found it unlocked. '_Naruto never leaves his apartment unlocked. Something strange is going on._' A cautious glance to Izumo confirmed his doubts, and both silently prepared kunai, setting the groceries on the ground. Kotetsu turned the knob and ran inside, eyes searching the living room while his partner followed in a fraction of a second later and checked the bedroom. Neither of them saw any sign of the boy, save for the sweaty clothes he had been wearing that day strewn about the floor. They looked at each other, and then both turned towards the bathroom.

The door was shut, but there was a hint of light coming out from the bottom. No sounds issued forth, and the two made their way over. Izumo stood next to the door and called out. "Naruto, are you in there? We're coming in to check on you." He counted to three silently, grabbed the handle, and flung the door open. The sight in front of him caused him to drop his weapon as he charged inside, Kotetsu hot on his heels. "Go get a medic-nin," was all he said before Kotetsu disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

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Sarutobi sat with Harry in his office, having just heard Harry's life story, as far as the boy knew. It was obvious that Harry came from a different world than theirs, and he believed it was England, but the boy was obviously suffering a bit of educational depravation, in addition to the physical. "_So, Harry, you say the last thing you remember before the pressing pain was thinking about how you wanted to be a ninja?_" The Hokage was incredibly amused by the thought.

"_Yes sir. I just kept wishing I was a ninja so no one would be mean to me anymore._" The boy said with a perfectly straight face.

"_If you truly desire to be a ninja, I'm sure we could see about making that happen._" The Sandaime was pleased to see the incredulous look on the young face. "_As I said, my name is Sarutobi, and I am the Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And Harry, we are a village of ninja. If you are certain that you wish to become one, the new year at the Academy begins in one months time. I can work out the details on getting you admitted, but you have to do something for me as well._"

The young boy looked at the older man as if he had grown a second head. "_What do I do?_"

"_You must learn to speak our language, as it is an important part of school. Don't worry about reading, but I want you to be able to understand your teacher. I will assign someone I trust to help you, and in turn, you can make your dream come true._"

"_Okay. But I can't believe that you'd let me be a ninja. I'm not allowed to do anything._" The concept that his horrid guardians wouldn't be there to turn down the offer still hadn't fully sunk in.

"_I guarantee it on my position as leader of this village. Now, shall we go and meet a friend of mine? I think you will like him._" '_This is the perfect punishment for Naruto. I'll make him learn a second language. He won't even care though, since hopefully he'll get the playmate he's always desired out of it._' Sarutobi stood, and then offered his hand to the other young man, who had by now overcome most of his nervousness and eagerly grabbed it. They walked slowly out the office door and down the hall towards the street. The Sandaime smiled as he watched the boy out of the corner of his eye. His eyes were enormous, taking in everything. He cringed when he saw the masked ANBU, his jaw dropped when he saw someone jumping from roof to roof, and his neck strained as he made out the Hokage Monument.

"_Is that you on the mountain sir?_" He asked, looking at the mountain face.

"_Oh, what sharp eyes you have. Yes, that was me when I was younger. The others were Hokage before me._"

"_If they were leaders before you, why is there someone after you?_"

This caused Sarutobi to pause, as he had definitely not figured the boy would be that astute as to be able to both recognize and conclude that they were in order. "_I am the Third Hokage. The one after me was the Forth Hokage, but he died 6 years ago, protecting this village to the very end. His sacrifice saved us all. I resumed my position afterwards._" The boy nodded, taking in the new information. Slowly, they made their way to Naruto's apartment. It took about 20 minutes at their leisurely pace, but the air was fresh, and the sights were breathtaking to the young boy.

As they rounded the last block, they saw a pair of figures arguing in the street. As they got closer, Sarutobi could make out the details.

"The boy is dying, get up there and do your job."

"I refuse to help that demon get better. I lost a sister to that beast, I won't heal him just so he can hurt someone else."

As they got even closer, Sarutobi recognized the two as Kotetsu, and a newer medic-nin, Kamishiro Aya. Kotetsu began to berate her. "You will get up there because it is your job. The boy is no monster, and he has never hurt anyone before. I could turn you in for breaking the S-class law of talking about what he's keeping from the rest of the village, but at the moment, he needs your help."

"No, if I go up there, it's only to kill him."

"We're talking about a child. You would honestly kill a child, or allow a child to come to harm while you stood by and did nothing?"

The pair hadn't noticed the Hokage and Harry approach, and Aya about jumped out of her skin when he spoke. "You will help him, to the best of your abilities. If he dies, I will have Tsunade examine him, and if she discovers anything that was ignored, or mistreated, I WILL have you executed for the murder of a child." Aya growled, then leapt to the door and entered the apartment. "Kotetsu, I want you to watch young Harry here. He doesn't understand Japanese, so please be gentle and obvious in your actions." Turning to Harry, he said, "_I have to go inside now. My friend is hurt and I need to take care of him. This man is Kotetsu, and he is also one of my friends. Please stay with him for the time being._" Harry nodded, then released the older mans hand. With a smile, Sarutobi leapt to the doorway and disappeared.

Entering the apartment, he saw Izumo standing outside the bathroom, with Aya knelt in the bathroom doorway. There was blood on Izumo's hands and tear stains down his cheeks. He looked up at the Hokage and said, his voice creaking, "Who would do that to a child. This wasn't a beating, it was torture. He was trapped in a genjutsu, attacked with kunai, and beat with enough force to break the floor, if the fist sized hole in the bathroom is any indication. I can't believe he's still alive. I would have sworn that his left lung was punctured."

Sarutobi laid a comforting hand on the younger males shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry." He moved to the bathroom and suppressed a shudder at the shear amount of blood surrounded the naked body, a bloody towel next to him. There were enormous bruises along his chest, his face, and his stomach. Numerous puncture wounds covered the arms, with a fair number in his stomach where the seal was visible. A deep puncture wound was on the left of the boy's chest, just an inch down from his heart, a bloody kunai discarded nearby. Aya worked as quickly as she could, starting with the chest wound. After it was closed, she then moved on to his stomach. As she began to work on his arms, her chakra began to falter, exhaustion setting in from the difficult reconstruction techniques. The Hokage gathered some of his own chakra and gave it to the medic-nin to help her along. As soon as the cuts were healed and they were sure it was safe to move him, they grabbed a blanket off his bed and wrapped him in it for his trip to the hospital. Sarutobi carried Naruto himself out the door and down into the street.

Kotetsu was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Harry right on his heels. When they saw the bundle in his arms, both feared the worst. Sarutobi looked at Kotetsu first, giving him a nod to indicate the boy was alright, and then he turned to Harry. "_He's alive, don't worry. He just needs to go to the hospital to get better. I want you to follow me with Kotetsu, do you understand?_" The boy nodded. "Kotetsu, take Harry and follow me. He needs to have a physical anyways." Back to Harry, he finished, "_I want you to hold on tight to him, and don't let go or scream, okay?_" Another nod and the Hokage ran full speed to the Konoha Hospital, Kotetsu and Harry struggling to keep up.

As Sarutobi entered the main room, the nurse stood at attention. "I need an intensive care room for Naruto here," he said, gesturing to the bundle in his arms. The nurse visibly paled before he finished. "He will get the best treatment you can give, or you and everyone who worked on him will need to find a new line of work." He hated having to threaten his villagers, but barely a soul in town would look after the boy otherwise. The nurse nodded and took Naruto, grabbing a doctor then placing him on a stretcher, which they ran to the ICU. The Hokage sat in the entrance hall for a few moments, awaiting the pair that had been following him. It didn't take long before Kotetsu and Harry arrived, with the latter's eyes saucer sized, a large smiled fixed on his face. Reactivating the translation jutsu, he turned to the boy. "_Well, now, we need to get you an examination to make sure you are healthy. Will you follow me please?_" Harry nodded, then looked up and smiled at the teenager that had carried him there. He got a small smile in return and set the boy down where he immediately ran to the Hokage. Leader and stranger then made their way towards the basic exam rooms. "Don't worry about Naruto, Kotetsu," Sarutobi called over his shoulder. "For now, you should go find your partner and see if you can't find any clues in the boy's apartment."

After a few minutes of walking and two flights of stairs, they pair came to the basic check-up exam rooms. Walking to the receptionist, the Hokage requested a complete physical of the boy, and requested both Hyuuga Hiashi and Yamanaka Inoichi, to check the boy's chakra coils and mental health respectively. The receptionist called a nurse over to lead the two to an open exam room to await the doctor. The small room had three chairs, two against the wall and one on wheels near a large exam table. Harry and Sarutobi sat down on the offered seating and barely had time to get comfortable before there was a knock on the door and a middle-aged doctor entered. He bowed to the Hokage before offering his greetings to the small boy that accompanied his leader. "Oh, Minoru, he doesn't speak Japanese. Do you know the translation jutsu?"

"No, Hokage-sams.. This far from the coast, we don't have much use for it."

"That's alright, here are the seals." He slowly went through a series of hand seals. "Give it a try and see if you can get it." Turning his attention to Harry, "_I want you to let us know if you can understand what he's saying. He's attempting a technique to speak your language._" They both turned and watched as the doctor went through the hand seals. It took him about 5 tries before he was able to get it down. He then instructed the small boy through his examination. When the boy took his clothes off to get into the gown, the Hokage was shocked to discover scars and scabs across the boys back, bruises on his arms and chest, and the signs of at least one improperly set broken bone in his arm. He could also see ever single one of the child's ribs and his spine. He was suddenly glad that he had called for Inoichi, as he wanted to know who had done this to a child. By the looks of some of the scars, they were years old. And not a one was visible while he wore normal clothing, which indicated that they didn't want anyone to know what they put him through.

In a matter of about 20 minutes, the first exam was over, and he was given a clean bill of health with a mention to put on some weight as he was much too thin. The doctor bid them farewell and left. The door didn't even finish closing before Hiashi entered; his formal and dominating presence sending chills down the small boy who was still sitting on the exam table. He bowed to the Hokage before he turned his white eyes towards the boy. "_Is he blind Hokage sir?_" Harry asked.

"_I assure you I am not blind. These are the eyes of my clan, and they can see things normal eyes can't. I'm going to look at you and see what state your chakra coils are in. It will not hurt._ Byakugan." The veins around his eyes bulged as he inspected the boy. After a moment, the veins subsided. "_That is all. They are just fine for you to become a ninja._" He then faced Sarutobi, who had a smile on his face. "His coils are strong, as if they have already had a great deal of chakra pushed through them, but it appears as though he has never willingly pulled on any. His reserves are staggering for that of someone so young; they are on par with someone thrice his age. Training him would easily make him a strong ninja depending on his control. Also, it seems that scar on his forehead is heavily laced with chakra, but it is doing nothing to prevent the normal flow, or even to begin to draw on his reserves." He then bowed and stepped from the room, moving aside as Inoichi entered.

"Hokage-sama," he said bowing. "I understand you want a mental examination done on a small boy. May I ask the occasion; since it's not often someone who isn't even in the academy needs one." Sarutobi face was grim as he turned his gaze towards the back of the boy sitting on the table. Inoichi noticed the wounds and nodded. "If someone did that to my daughter, I'd do everything I could to make sure she was alright. I understand, I'll start at once." He made his way to the exam chair and sat down, looking at the boy with a gentle smile on his face. "Now don't move, this won't hurt a bit." Before the Hokage could tell him that the boy didn't understand, the hand seals were already completed. "Shintenshin no Jutsu". Both males slumped as they lost control of their bodies. Sarutobi just watched, waiting for the man to pull the necessary information about the boy's mental well-being. After about 3 minutes, both stirred, although Inoichi came around first. He reached forward and hugged Harry. "_You poor boy, you've seen and experienced things no person should have to._" He had pulled the language out of the boy's mind, along with his past. Breaking the hug, he turned to the Sandaime.

"Based on my examination, his mental health is average, which is much better than to be expected after what he's been through. From what I pulled, he witnessed his parent's murder at the age of 1, and the murderer in turn attempted to kill him with a jutsu I've never seen before, which backfired and hit the man instead, killing him and giving Harry that scar. He was then placed in the care of his mother's sister and her husband, although they neglected him in favor of his cousin. He was beaten when he did anything his guardians deemed not normal, and his cousin beat him up when they weren't. Judging by what was said by his parents before they were killed, as well as the actions of his guardians, I'd say they were wizards, like something out of a fairy tale, but they did do things I've never seen a jutsu do before. As for his guardians, I think they were civilians who wanted to make sure he never became a wizard, if their strange behavior was any indicator." Inoichi finished his report and turned to the boy once more, giving him another fatherly hug.

The Hokage thought on the report, especially the things he didn't already know from his talk with Harry. He knew that wizards existed, but they had a strange sort of truce with them. It wasn't that they disliked each other, but more of a "you go your way I'll go mine" agreement, a live and let live type deal. It had been enacted centuries ago and only the Kage's knew about it. He was sure that there were few wizards who knew of the existence of ninja as well, since none had come seeking them out in the years since they secluded themselves. Turning to the man, he gave him his orders. "Thank you for the report. You are to forget everything about wizards you pulled from his head. You may go." The man stood and left, leaving Harry smiling on the table. "_Well now Harry, let's get you back in your clothing and go get some dinner. Tomorrow, we'll come back and check on the status of my friend and maybe you can even meet him._" An excited nod later, they began walking out of the hospital.

---------

As the two walked down the road, Sarutobi thought about what he would do with the two boys. They couldn't live on their own, no matter how much Naruto might complain, after being attacked in his own home it was for his own good. _Maybe I should ask one of the clans to take him in, or maybe one of the ninja I know doesn't have it out for Naruto. I know Izumo asked at one point, maybe he'd still be willing. _ Breaking out of his thoughts, he turned to his small companion. "_Well now Harry, what would you say we go get some ramen?_"

Harry scrunched up his face as he tried to think what exactly 'ramen' was, but he was drawing a blank. "_I'm afraid I don't know what that is Hokage sir._"

The Sandaime smirked. _Might as well get him used to the food his roommate will be eating constantly. _"_It's soup and noodle dish with meat and vegetables. I know that it's the favorite food of my friend, the one I'm going to introduce you to._"

At the realization that his hopefully new friend liked it a lot, he decided he needed to at least try it. "_Okay, let's go!_" He grabbed for the older mans hand and tried to drag him forward. Sarutobi laughed as he let himself be led, while giving the boy directions, to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. As they reached the restaurant, they both sat on the stools and waited for the proprietor.

"What can I get for the two of you, Hokage-sama?" Ichiraku Teuchi asked as he looked at the boy accompanying him. "And who's this little fella. Haven't seen him around before."

"That's Potter Harry, he just got into town today. If things go well he's going to be Naruto's new roommate, so expect to see him a lot. As for our order, I believe pork for me, and start Harry-kun here with a miso. His first bowl ever."

Teuchi turned his attention towards Harry. "Welcome, Harry-san. I hope you enjoy the wonderful taste that is ramen." Harry gave him a blank look, and he turned back towards his leader. "Quiet kid, isn't he, not like Naruto at all."

"That's because he doesn't understand any Japanese yet."

"Must be from way out of town if he doesn't speak the language. Well, I'll go get your order started." With that, he turned around and went towards the back of his shop to prepare the pairs dinner.

"_This man is a very good person. If you ever need help with something you can try and ask him once you learn the language. He can't help you with anything relating to ninja, but he's very knowledgeable about other things. He also makes the best ramen I've ever tasted._" The two then sat in silence while waiting for the ramen. After a few moments, the man set a bowl down in front of each of them. "Itadakimasu." Just as he was about to begin, he glanced over and saw the confused face of Harry. He reached over and grabbed a set of chopsticks for him. "_Here, let me show you how to eat. First, you hold them like this, and then…_" He watched as Harry tried his hardest to consume the food, getting slightly better with each try. After he was done, they both drank the broth and sat back with a satisfied sigh. "_So, how was the ramen?_"

Harry looked up at the old man and smiled. "_It was very good, thank you sir._"

"_Well, then, let's head back to my office and see about getting you a place to live._" He picked up the boy and used Shunshin no Jutsu to arrive quickly back in his office. He reached over to his intercom and pressed the button. "Would you get Kotetsu and Izumo in here please?" _"Hai, Hokage-sama" _He then turned back to Harry, and noticed he had fallen asleep on the couch, a happy grin on his face. "Sleep well Harry-kun, you're going to need all the rest you can to deal with Naruto." He then turned back towards his paperwork to await the two Chunin.

---------

Half an hour later, Izumo and Kotetsu knocked before entering the Hokage's office. "You called for us Hokage-sama?" Izumo asked.

"Indeed. Did you find anything yet?"

"All we found was a bit of paint on the doorway and the handle of the kunai. Which means it was probably one of the Jounin from the meeting today. An Inuzuka and their companion may be able to track the scent down, though."

"Good news, I suppose. I'll have one get on it right away. Now Izumo, I was wondering if your offer to allow Naruto to live with you is still valid."

"It is Hokage-sama."

"This is difficult to ask, but I have a mission for the two of you. I want you to become the guardians for Naruto, and for Harry here. I'll provide you with a house and will give you weekly pay as a long term A rank mission. You would be responsible for their well-being, as well as teaching Harry Japanese. A side mission would be for you two plus Naruto to learn English. That way the two of them can't scheme in a language you don't understand. I can arrange for an English tutor for all 4 of you, since a 6 year old obviously doesn't have a complete grasp of the language yet. Do you accept?" He sat, his hands steepled in front of his face as he awaited their answer.

The two teenagers looked back and forth, having a silent conversation with their eyes. True they were still young and didn't want to be responsible for a child, much less 2 of them, but after what had happened to Naruto today they couldn't possibly leave him alone. Besides, it's not like they had much of a social life as it was. Naruto made sure of that with his constant energy and pranks. Nodding slightly to each other, they turned towards their leader. "Hai, Hokage-sama. We accept."

"Very good, I'll have the house ready for you by the end of the week. Can Harry-kun stay with one of you until then?"

"He can stay with me, Hokage-sama. And I'll get started right away with his Japanese," Kotetsu spoke up.

"Excellent. I wish you the best of luck."

---------

Naruto regained consciousness and immediately remembered what had happened in his bathroom. His eyes snapped open as he checked his injuries. Much to his surprise, they were gone, as was the blood, and he was dressed in the orange suit he had found in the dumpster behind the clothing shop. He looked around him and noticed he was in a sewer, lying in shallow dirty water. He stood up unsteadily, and then called out to his surroundings. "HELLO? ANYBODY THERE? KOTETSU? IZUMO?" The only reply, however, was an echo. He looked behind him and saw a wall. "Only one way to go, I guess." And with that he started down the long tunnel.

After about half and hour of walking, he made it to a large room with big steel bars extending higher than he could see. In the middle of the bars was a piece of paper with the kanji for "Seal" on it. As he made his way into the room, an enormous pair of blood-red slit eyes opened, and a giant set of teeth set in a smile appeared. "**Wonderful of you to join me, my jailor."**

Naruto backed away from the large beast slowly, never breaking eye contact. "Wh-who are you? What do you mean jailor?"

A barking laugh sounded from the cage, as the voice continued. "**I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and I am imprisoned within you. Now come, we have much to discuss, as I refuse to have a weak vessel."**

---------

**A/N**: There's chapter 1. Sorry for the slight cliff-hanger, but this is nearly 10,000 words already. Be warned that my 2nd update will not be nearly as quick as this one, mainly because I won't have the time to sit and type until the middle of next week. Let me know what you think about it, and I'll strive to make this the best I can.


	3. Chapter 02

Here again is the new chapter for Demon Siblings. I'm sorry for the nearly month delay, but a combined effort of work, school, family, and a trip to the Renaissance Festival, topped with a hearty dose of writers block for the chapter worked against me. If this chapter feels a bit different than the previous ones, it's mainly due to having been written recently. Nearly all of the previous chapter and all of the prologue, were written at the beginning of February, and I finally decided to post and continue it.

That said, I must once again remind you that I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

* * *

It was bright and early the next day as Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, made his way into the office. In all actuality, it wasn't very bright out, with an overcast sky and drizzling rain, but that's beside the point. He groaned slightly at the stack of paperwork already gathered on his desk and had barely gotten comfortable in his chair when there was a knock on the door. Giving permission to enter his secretary wordlessly drifted in and served him a cup of tea before giving him a small smile and leaving the room. He took a sip and smiled, it was just the way he liked it. Steeling his resolve, he picked up his pen and began perusing the top-most important document.

It had been a few hours since he had arrived, and the rain had only gotten worse. As he finished the last of the original stack, he rose and watched the village from his window, the only sound the constant pattering of raindrops against glass. He let his mind wander away from work as he thought more about the situation with Harry. The boy was obviously a wizard, and had more than likely used accidental magic to get here. He was familiar enough with how magical beings worked, as his predecessors had left detailed notes on just what to expect if he were to ever encounter one, as well as the official classified missives from both the Daimyo and Emperor. Accidental magic was just that, an accident, and was often found in children with magical cores. From what he understood, a magical core was similar yet different from a chakra system.

Anyone could use chakra, save those with a debilitating handicap, but those were individual circumstances. At a young age, they had to learn to develop their coils, as well as exercise, to start the production of the energy from the mere trickle it required to live on. As they were taught to harness this energy, their individual stores were built up as well as their bodies pathways enlarged and streamlined for effective use on a battlefield. A tedious process that could begin no later than the age of 10 else the body develop too far to safely expand the coils, but effective on the masses for any who desired to try. Granted, everyone had different levels of natural skill, control, and raw levels of chakra, but that was the same with anything. Training could make up for a lot, but your base genetics described how great a ninja you could eventually be. The formal written report for Harry, compiled by Hiashi, stated that his potential was great, but the longer he waited, the smaller his coils would get, as though they were atrophying due to lack of use like a muscle. Neither had seen anything like it before, at least to that extent, and Hiashi had theorized it was due to his coils being forced almost completely open in an instant, and then left alone.

As for a magical core, he was positive Harry had one, but had no idea how to check if others did. They were hereditary for the most part, and you either had one or you didn't, no in betweens. The documents he had stated that accidental magic happened in times of extreme emotions or longing, with examples of toys or treats floating to the child, or things breaking or changing when they got upset. There were no diagrams of what a magical core looked like, so he couldn't ask a Hyuuga or a medic to check him out. And as Hiashi had not stated anything wrong with the boy, he doubted the Byakugan could readily see it. But still, he was positive that the scar on young Harry's forehead was magical in origin, yet Hiashi had claimed it to be chakra contained within. Perhaps at first glance the energies looked similar. But he had never once heard of any of his villagers talking about levitating toys, strange occurrences around upset children, nor anything else that could only be described as "magic". He made a mental note to have Hiashi do a detailed scan, as deep as he could go, to see if anything popped up. Maybe he could train the child a bit, based off of what he knew, and give him at least a rudimentary ability.

The final problem he thought about was the academy. He wanted both Harry and Naruto go to, but he was sure that the results would be sub-par. He may be able to find one teacher to teach them properly, but the students had many instructors over the course of their schooling, and it was unfair to ask a single teacher to try and teach all levels of the school to the boys. In all honesty, he expected Naruto to be purposely neglected, and that neglect would more than likely transfer to Harry when they saw them together. The best case scenario would be the two stuck through it and came out a little lacking in the educational department, to be made up by a Jounin-sensei. The worst case, when Harry put two and two together and realized that Naruto was the source of his neglect, he stops being his friend in a hope to garner better attention from the instructors. While he was sure that Harry would make a connection, his deduction skills already showing as evidenced by their conversation about the Hokage Monument, how he dealt with it was another matter, especially since the boy has been neglected his whole life. Would he stand for it for a friend or cave and try to get in their good graces.

The more he thought about their education, the more he felt that private instruction would be the key to unlocking their potential. While it was true that all ninja must graduate from the academy, he could work around that with a bit of finagling. It would be years before the students manipulated their chakra enough to begin to develop their coils beyond the very minor. Most of the first four years are theory and learning how to get in touch with their chakra, as well as physical exercises. According to Hiashi's report, as well as a previous report on Naruto, both boys had larger than average chakra coils for their age and the earlier they started extensive training on them, the better off they would be in the future. But all young ninja operated in teams of 4, three Genin to a Jounin, so unless he paired the two with an older Genin who would most likely know about the Kyuubi and treat Naruto poorly, they would be stuck with a teammate far below them skill wise, and their progress would be stymied until the weakest link could get through at least the first two portions of the Chunin Exam, or they would have to have separate apprenticeships. If he could find them a third member now, it could save some hassle, but he didn't know of anyone that age that had shown the potential.

He was brought out of his thoughts when his intercom buzzed, announcing his first meeting of the morning. He made his way back to his chair as he told the secretary to let them in. He raised his eyes towards the door as one Hyuuga Hiashi entered his formal presence nearly palpable in the air.

"You wished to see me, Hokage-sama," the regal man began.

"Hai, Hiashi. I have a mission for you, long term. Are you interested in hearing more," Sarutobi asked, knowing full well that the man before him would at least listen to his entire explanation before giving his thoughts.

"My time is becoming increasing constrained now that Hinata is old enough to begin more of her formal training, however I shall hear you out."

"Well, the mission I have for you is to teach etiquette and the English language to Uzumaki Naruto and Potter Harry, as well as just the language to their guardians. Harry-kun only understands basic English at the moment, and I feel it would be in Naruto-kun's best interest to learn a second language, as well as a large dose of social manners. As for their guardians, I want them to be able to understand the boys if they decide to scheme. As I understand it, these are some of the things that you would be teaching to Hinata-chan anyways. Perhaps having people her own age learning with her will help her confidence a bit, or at least give her people to practice with." There was a twinkle in his aging eyes as he looked upon the Hyuuga patriarch.

Hiashi was silent as he pondered this mission. It was definitely a worthy investment, as kami knows the Uzumaki boy needed manners. As for the Potter child, he was an anomaly. He had seen the potential in him, and he would be powerful if he could harness that latent ability. Having him affiliate himself with the Hyuuga would be a great advantage when he reached his peak. As for his own daughter, the Hokage was correct that she had a confidence problem. It was always present, at first in the normal shyness of a child, but had only grown after the botched kidnapping. He was positive he could also be to blame, as he pushed her and called her weak. It had worked for his confidence problem, but it only seemed to push her farther into her shell. Perhaps these boys could help her gain the spark of Hyuuga respectability she so desperately lacked. Lastly, any time Naruto was studying was time he was not pulling pranks. "Hai, Hokage, I accept your mission. Lessons begin Monday at 1pm. I expect them at the complex no later than that. English lessons will begin at 3pm so his guardians can learn as well. They shall be finished by 5pm, as I do not expect young boys, Uzumaki especially, to have an attention span much longer than that."

"Thank you Hiashi-san, I know it was a lot to ask, but I have failed Naruto-kun thus far, and I wish to make it up to him. I will personally see that they are on time." He rose from his chair to see his guest out. "I hope you have a pleasant day." Hiashi nodded and left. Looking around, he saw that his paperwork was caught up enough to let him out for a bit, and decided to go check on Harry, and then take him to see if Naruto was awake yet. Grabbing an umbrella, he made his way out of the Hokage Tower and into the village proper.

* * *

Naruto was sitting at a small desk he had conjured himself in his mental realm at the Kyuubi's urging. He had been sitting for hours, practicing making a little design that the great beast sealed within him had shown him. He hadn't been able to get much information out of the demon, save that the Yondaime had sealed Kyuubi inside him, and that he wanted to make Naruto stronger, to be worthy of being his vessel. After that, he had set him to task recreating the design, claiming that he could wake up as soon as he could draw it perfectly. He set the calligraphy brush down carefully as he massaged the cramps out of his hand. His attempts were getting better, and he was sure that he had gotten it right this time. He grabbed the scroll he had been practicing on and went over to present his work. 

"Kyuubi-sama, I got it, I got it!" The young boy excitedly shouted. The great beast opened one of his eyes and examined the design. His critical gaze swept over it looking for any discrepancies, and after finding none that would cause it to work improperly, commanded him to make twenty more to ensure he had it correct. The blonde boy nodded and practically ran back to the little desk he made for himself to do what was asked of him.

_**At least the boy doesn't complain about work. I don't want to imagine the headache I'd have if he did. **_He closed his eyes again to await the completion of the last task he had set his jailor to.

Naruto frowned, his face tight with concentration as he put the finishing touches on the twentieth design. He didn't know what drawing the same pretty design over and over again could do for training, but figured that someone as old and wise as Kyuubi-sama knew what they were doing. He stretched and made his way back to the cage. "I did it, Kyuubi-sama, twenty more times. Now what should I do?"

Kyuubi looked down at the boy and smiled. No whining about unfair tasks, no griping about sore arms, just hard work. "**Good, while you were working I took the liberty of healing your body with my chakra. When you wake up, I want you to speak with the Hokage as soon as possible. You will tell him you met me, and then you will draw the design you were practicing on a sheet of paper and place it on your stomach, over the seal that holds me. It will allow me to take control of your face so I may talk about your training with him. You will still have control of your arms, so at any point you can cut off my control by simply removing the paper. Do you understand?" ** He looked down at the boy who was nodding his head vigorously. **"Good, now I believe it's time for you to wake up.**" With a small mental push, the boy disappeared from his mindscape and back to the world of the living.

* * *

Petunia Dursley had just finished the last of the breakfast dishes when she heard the click of the letter chute, signifying that the mail had arrived for the morning. It was odd, she thought, as the mail usually didn't arrive for a few more hours. She made her way into the entrance hall and saw a single letter sitting upon the mat. Stooping to pick it up, Petunia realized it had a wax seal on the back with the letters MoM along with a small crest of four, she didn't know what kind of creatures they were. With shaking fingers, she broke through the wax seal and pulled out the single piece of parchment inside. 

_Dear Family Dursley_

_It has come to our attention that there is a chance of magic in one or more of your family members. As per standard protocol, we will send one of our staff to conduct a magical aptitude test this evening. Please have all family members present in your home at 7:30pm. The test itself is painless and only takes a few short moments. Should one or more of your family have a magical core, you will receive further information on how to integrate yourself into our world as per your new heritage. If no one has the aptitude, then the memory of this letter and the test shall be removed from your mind and you can continue with your lives as though nothing has happened._

_Sincerely,_

_Bonnie Abbot_

_Head of Magical Testing_

_Ministry of Magic_

There was a thump in the hall as Petunia fainted dead away.

* * *

Sarutobi and Harry had just entered the hospital room of one Uzumaki Naruto. The Hokage had filled young Harry in on who the boy was, his likes and such, on their trip over. They both sat in the chairs offered by the room as they gazed down upon the tiny occupant of the hospital bed. He looked better, much better than he should, and the Sandaime wondered if it was due to the Kyuubi's influence that he had healed so rapidly. A few moments after they arrived, his brilliant blue eyes fluttered open and gazed around the room, finally coming to rest upon one of the only people to care for him. 

"Jiji, I was told I needed to talk to you," the small voice rasped out. Smiling, the Hokage grabbed a glass of water and held it out to Naruto, who drank it greedily before handing it back.

"Oh, and who exactly told you that?"

"Kyuubi-sama." At this, the old mans eyes opened in shock. Naruto wasn't supposed to know about the Kyuubi yet, he was supposed to have a normal childhood before learning of the burden placed upon him. _But he never had a childhood, the villagers made sure of that_ a nagging voice in the back of his mind protested. Shaking his head, he fixed his gaze back on the young boy in front of him.

"And what, pray tell, does the Kyuubi want you to tell me?"

"Um, I'm not sure, actually. I'm supposed to draw it for you. Can I get a brush and some paper?" Wondering about the strange request, Sarutobi pulled out his sealing set and placed it in front of his surrogate grandson. He watched in awe as the boy deftly inked the brush and set about drawing a complicated design. The more he drew the less the Hokage recognized it. He knew it was a seal, and although he was by no means a master, he could at least recognize various aspects in their design. Finally, the boy finished, and then lifted his shirt. Realization dawned on the leader as he made a mad scramble to prevent him from possibly destroying the seal. He was too late however, and as soon as the seal touched the flesh above the multiple seals holding the great beast at bay, the design flashed red.

**"Hello, Hokage-sama, before you do anything rash, this seal only allows me control of his face. I can talk to you, look at you, but I can't move anything below the neck, and Naruto-kun is awake and aware of his surroundings. He also knows that all he has to do is remove the paper and I will be gone again." **Naruto's now blood red eyes scanned the room and came upon the small boy looking at him with awe.**"Who is this little fellow? I don't recognize him from any of the boy's memories."**

Sarutobi was in shock at hearing about the seal. He never knew one existed that would allow the contained partial control. The question about Harry brought him out of his pondering. "That is Potter Harry-san. I was hoping he and Naruto-kun could be friends." He decided to keep information about training out for now, as this was a diplomatic discussion and he needed to hold his cards close to his chest. "He just arrived in the village yesterday."

**"The boy does need friends. Hopefully he will do well. Now, onto what I wish to discuss with you. I want to train the boy, but I know I can't do it alone. I wish for you to set him up with unbiased tutors to help him progress faster with his training."**

"Why would you want to train the boy anyways? I thought you would want him weak so you could take over and possibly escape."

The great beast sighed. **"Multiple reasons, actually. The first being that this seal would kill me if I ever took control or tried to escape. I do not want to die, not yet. As I can at least partially experience what is happening through our connection, I will be living vicariously through him. The second is my pride as a demon. I refuse to have a host thought of as weak. And finally, a promise I made to the one who sealed me."**

As the Sandaime thought about it, the first two reasons made a lot of sense. He knew that the seals holding him were strong, but never that strong, and a demons pride was legendary. "What promise is that? I didn't know of any deals between you and Yondaime?"

**"I came to Konoha looking for a fight with the rumored strongest human alive. When he defeated me, he was granted one wish from me. He asked me to protect and train the boy and those he holds close. I gave him my word. Now, about his training, I can train him in chakra control exercises, as well many of the theoretical aspects. Now that we've met, I can also speak in his mind to help him out a bit more on the practical side. However, I know pitifully few jutsu, and absolutely no taijutsu. That's where your help comes in for a practical teacher."**

Sarutobi was deep in thought as he listened to the reasons behind the Kyuubi attack. So deep in thought he almost missed the information about the training. One thing bothered him though. "What do you mean you can speak in his mind? I will not have you poisoning his thought process!"

**"You misunderstand. Now that we are aware of each other, the seal itself has set up a communication link between us. Naruto-kun controls that link, and can block me out with a thought. I can speak with him, but I can't influence his decisions any more than you can, nor can I "poison" his mind. Talk only."**

"That's a relief. As for the training, I'm sure I could arrange for a few of my Jounin to help. Maito Gai would be a definite help to his taijutsu and I know for a fact he doesn't see you when he looks at Naruto-kun. Once he gets his chakra control down, I can then look for nin and genjutsu instructors. Now, I'm not going to allow you to just teach Naruto. Ninja work in squads to achieve maximum efficacy, so I would like you to train his teammates as well."

The boy with the glowing red eyes thought for a moment, before returning his gaze to the elderly leader. **"I will agree to teach his teammates, however, I must approve of them personally. I refuse to teach just anyone you feel should become more powerful."**

Sarutobi inwardly smiled. "My first candidate for your teachings is Potter-san here. He would benefit greatly from an advanced pace due to having his coils forcibly enlarged in an accident. From what I have garnered, he has also had a childhood very similar to Naruto-kun's, although not nearly the scale, having been placed with unloving, neglecting, and abusive guardians. I was hoping they would be friends, as both boys desperately need one."

**"I have a feeling that you were going to talk about training today whether I surfaced or not." **Getting a nod, he continued. **"Boy, come here and let me see you closely." **When Harry stared blankly at him, he got angry. **"If you want this training you will listen to me."** Another blank look. **"Fine, you will get no instruction from me. Do you have any other candidates Hokage-sama?"**

An amused smirk was all that the Kyuubi saw when he turned his face back to the Hokage. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that young Harry-kun here doesn't speak any Japanese. He didn't understand a word you just said. I'll relay your message now, though." He forced the laugh in his throat down at the scowl the young boy/demon was giving him. "_Harry, I need you to go up close to my friend now, as he needs to get a closer look at you before he will teach you to be a ninja._" Harry nodded quickly, excited about being trained. He stood up and marched right towards the hospital bed until he was standing right next to it. He felt a warm feeling in his body as the slit red gaze traveled over him. After a few moments, the blonde head made nodded, and then gestured back towards the chair Harry had been previously occupying.

**"He has potential in his body, lots of it. So long as he promises to work hard, I will train him. Training starts as soon as we find a suitable third member, and not a moment before." ** Naruto's hand came up and removed the paper from his body, his eyes returning to their vibrant blue.

"You mean it jiji! I'm going to be trained as a ninja!" Excitement was pouring out of his young frame.

"Hai Hai, as soon as we find you a suitable third teammate. Now, we still need to discuss your punishment for yesterday's prank." He watched as the excitement left in a hurry. "Your punishment is to learn to speak to Harry-kun here in his own language. I will provide you both with a tutor to ensure that you are taught correctly." The light in his eyes returned at the thought of learning something, even as punishment. The thirst for knowledge hadn't been shattered by the village yet. "Also, the two of you will be living together in a house with Kotetsu-kun and Izumo-kun. I know you like living on your own, but after this attack, it would make me feel better if you had adults around. Don't worry, you can still have your own bedroom if you want."

Naruto, for the most part, was floored. He was going to be taught to be a ninja way before others his age, along with a boy who, from the sounds of it, could be a real friend for him. He looked at the small boy across from him, with messy black hair oddly reminiscent of his own untamed locks, and a cool looking scar on his forehead. Deciding to make friends right away, he stuck out his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the best Hokage ever," he loudly proclaimed to his new teammate.

Harry looked at the hyper boy, and, although he couldn't understand what had been said, realized it was a greeting. Having gleaned his name from the rest of the conversations he'd heard since he arrived, he introduced himself. "_Hello, my name is Harry Potter._" He then took the offered hand and gave it a small shake along with his own smile. Sarutobi just looked on with a grandfatherly smile as he watched the two abused orphans start their friendship.

* * *

At precisely 7:30 that evening, after having had a very nervous dinner, their doorbell rang. Rising from her spot on the couch, Petunia Dursley made her way over to the entry hall. She opened up the door expecting any nature of freak to be on the other side of the door. However, what she saw was a sharply dressed young man who introduced himself as Kingsley Shacklebolt. After inviting him in, lest the neighbors wonder why a man was standing outside their home, she led him to the sitting room and gestured towards an empty chair as she resumed her place beside her son. 

"As I told your wife, my name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, and I work as an intern at the Ministry of Magic. I am here tonight to test the three of you for magical aptitude."

"Get on with it so we can prove that my family has no such freakiness in it. Then you can get your freakish self out of our house." Vernon Dursley all but shouted, his face taking on the reddish tinge of his anger.

"Yes, well, I will explain what I'm about to do, then examine the three of you. Won't take more than five minutes and I shall be gone. This," he began, pulling out a long rod connected to box with a trio of gems. "Is a magical device which reads your aura and displays the amount of magical talent, or lack thereof, of the person being scanned. If the blue gem lights up, it indicates that the person has no magical core, and can never do anything associated with magic. Should the yellow gem light up, it indicates that the person is a squib. A squib is a person who has a magical core, but not enough magic within it to power any spells. They can interact with magical devices and the like, but will never be able to cast even the most simple of charms. Finally, should the red gem light up, it means that the one being scanned is a potential witch or wizard." He scanned himself with the device and the red gem lit up. "See, no problems at all, just a slight tickle as the magic inside it reads your aura. Now, I shall go down the line."

He started with Vernon, and as he scanned the rod over his body, the blue gem lit up. "You sir, have no magical ability. I'm sorry if you were hoping."

"Hoping, why would I want to be one of you freaks. Now just finish up so we can get back to our evening." His face was turning a shade of puce now.

"Moving right along then," he ignored the jabs of the elder Dursley. "Onto the young lad." The rod swept over the large child's body and a ticklish feeling swept through Dudley, causing him to laugh a bit. Looking at the meter, Kingsley saw that the red gem had lit up. "Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on being a wizard, Mr. Dursley. After this is finished I have some pamphlets for you to read through."

Vernon was at this point furious. "It had to be that freak we had living with us, he pushed his freakishness off on our little boy. I will not stand for any of this, get out of my house." He made to rise out of his chair, but Kingsley waved his wand and the walrus of a man sat back down, a content look in his eyes.

Seeing the looks of fear given to him by the other two, he explained himself. "It was a simple calming spell, not as effective as a calming draught, but still helpful in our field of work. He isn't the first person to get upset that their child was different. Now, onto the missus." He raised the rod one more time and swept it over Petunia, raising a ticklish feeling in her own body. "I'm not sure how you slipped past the system, Mrs. Dursley, but you are most definitely a witch. Have you had any training?"

Petunia sat in shock as she was proclaimed a witch. She had always been envious of her sister and her abilities, and had even gotten herself admitted to Hogwarts, though she never attended out of fear. She had been told that her magical ability, being untrained, would atrophy away as she grew older, in the letter she had received after denying to go to the school. "But, I thought my magical power had dwindled," she nervously stated.

"Where did you hear that? If you knew you had magical power, you should have been trained before this, as a safety precaution to you and those around you, or else had it magically sealed away."

"I don't know about ever having been sealed, but I never went to that school my sister did. I was told that my magical power would go away if I never did anything with it."

"Oh, it would definitely dwindle through lack of use, but it would never be gone. Well, here are some pamphlets about your newly discovered heritage. We shall arrange a day coming up soon to have your family take an outing into Magical London, perhaps set up a bank account and get you some beginner books. We will owl you with a list of proposed dates and you choose which one fits the best in your schedule. Well, I must be off, I have one more house in Manchester to hit tonight. Have a good evening." He stood quickly and made his way towards the door, leaving the shocked family to themselves. Just before he left, he stuck his head back into the sitting room. "The calming charm should wear off in a little less than five minutes." And with that the door shut and he was gone.

* * *

Finally it was Monday, and Harry and Naruto were going to get their first lessons from their mystery tutor. The Hokage hadn't told them anything about him besides that he trusted him, and they would be having lessons with his daughter. The two boys had become fast friends, even with their language barrier, but that was shrinking daily as Harry was absorbing the Japanese being taught to him like a sponge. He was by no means fluent but he could both understand and be understood. Naruto had been staying with Izumo since he got out of the hospital, and they spent every day at Kotetsu's place with Harry. They had run around a bit outside, but spent a lot of time sitting under trees having simple conversations since Harry's stamina was dismal. At night, they would all help to make a meal to eat together before going to their separate apartments and getting packed for the big move. 

Sarutobi led the two boys, dressed in new clothes, to the Hyuuga complex shortly before 1pm. As he neared the gate, he saw the guards give Naruto a glare before bowing to him. "You will inform Hiashi-sama that we are here for our meeting." The guard he addressed turned and went into the complex, gesturing for them to follow. The trio entered after and were led to a sitting room where Hiashi was waiting for them.

"Exactly on time. Excellent. We will get my daughter and then begin our training." He motioned for the guard that had led them to retrieve Hinata. Sarutobi excused himself as well and left. Hiashi fixed the pair in front of him with a critical eye and was pleased to see that neither boy shied away from him. After a moment he spoke. "I am teaching you as a favor to our Hokage. You will pay attention and you will behave, or I shall end your instruction." Both boys nodded in understanding. "Good, it appears my daughter is here," as he spoke there was a knock on the door. Hiashi bade her enter and she shyly made her way to the third unoccupied cushion next to Naruto. "This is my daughter, Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata-san, these are Uzumaki Naruto-san and Potter Harry-san. They will be joining you in your etiquette and English lessons from now on." She turned to look at the two boys and blushed, before nodding. "Let us begin with formal introductions. When meeting someone for the first time…"

Four and a half hours later Hiashi sat alone in his private office thinking about the first day of lessons. Both boys had paid him full attention and definitely responded to his commands. His daughter, although hesitant, had also exceeded his expectations. Whenever she had started to pull into her shell, one of the boys would give her a smile and a nod, and she'd regain a bit of her confidence. He could honestly say it was the best lesson she'd ever had with him. He had to admit that he was proud of the progress made today. With his own daughter's shy nature and the exuberant energy of the Uzumaki boy, he expected to have to take a lot of breaks, and perhaps a lecture on behavior. Instead, they had worked straight through without a complaint, only taking a small break as they switched subjects from etiquette to English as the boys guardians arrived. If things kept like this, he wouldn't mind teaching them.

* * *

Naruto and Harry were sitting under their favorite tree discussing their first day of lessons. 

"Hey Naruto, wasn't that etiquette stuff interesting," Harry asked his new friend.

"I suppose, after all a Hokage needs to know that stuff." His blue eyes raised towards the clouds as he enjoyed relaxing his mind. "It's a little dull, but I need to learn all I can." He felt a feeling in the back of his head that felt strangely like agreement. "It seems Kyuubi-sama agrees with me learning."

Harry nodded to his friend before lying back on the grass to stare at the sky. He had been informed of the Kyuubi and it's relation to Naruto after they had left his hospital room that first day. He understood the difference, and that he would be instructing them when they found a final teammate. "What did you think of Hinata-san?"

"She was really quiet, and she kept going red on me. I wonder if she has a fever or something."

"Yeah, but she seemed really nice. I hope she feels better." At this a peal of laughter spread throughout Naruto's head.

"_Why are you laughing at me Kyuubi-sama?"_ he demanded.

**"You will find out in time. Let's just say she's shy."**

_"Why would she be shy?"_

**"I'll tell you when you're older." **And with that the voice left his head and became a feeling of intense mirth in the back of his mind.

"So what did he say," Harry asked his friend, recognizing the spaced out look in his eyes as when he was talking with the Kyuubi.

"That she's just shy."

"Oh," he replied. He had a lot of understanding in that department, as he had always been shy and embarrassed about his hand-me-down clothes. "I think it's time we went back to get dinner ready, I'm starving."

"Okay, race ya!" and with that Naruto sprung up and ran full speed back towards Kotetsu's apartment, with Harry following behind muttering about cheaters.

As soon as the boys got back to the apartment the first thing they noticed was that it was empty. As they were looking around, Izumo entered. "Hey guys, the Hokage got our house ready. We hired a Genin team to move the stuff while you were at your lesson. C'mon, we have take-out Ichiraku at the new pad waiting for you."

After dinner that night they explored their new house. It had five bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. Kotetsu and Izumo had claimed the two bedrooms on the lower level, and let Harry and Naruto pick their own out of the three upstairs, deciding to use the last room as a guest room. As the boys were looking at the rooms, Harry turned to Naruto. "Hey, do you want to maybe share a room? I'm not used to sleeping in big spaces yet."

Naruto thought about it for a few seconds before running to the biggest room on the floor. "Let's take this room!" The raven-haired boy laughed and went to grab his things.

* * *

After having figuring out owl post, with the help of the pamphlets, Petunia and Dudley were awaiting their magical tour guide. Vernon had adamantly refused to accompany them, insisting that he had too much work to do and couldn't be bothered to traipse around the countryside looking at freakish things. As soon as the clock chimed the top of the hour, there was a sharp knock on the front door. Petunia made her way to answer, opening the door to see a greasy-haired man in black robes. A hint of recognition triggered in her brain, but she couldn't place it. "My name is Severus Snape, and I shall be showing you around Diagon Alley as well as answering any questions you might have." It was obviously a forced speech as he looked less than thrilled to be there. "Well, you and the boy, come along." He turned around brusquely and started down the front walk. Petunia motioned for her son and they followed. 

After walking for several blocks, Snape stopped suddenly before drawing his wand and raising it towards the street. A moment later there was a loud bang as a purple triple-decker bus appeared. Severus turned towards the surprised people following him. "This is the Knight Bus, not a favored way to travel, but since you know nothing about other magical transportation, it will have to suffice. You only have to stick out your want on the curb and it will pick you up momentarily." He turned towards the teenager manning the bus and told him their destination, the Leaky Cauldron, paid, and found himself a seat towards the back. Petunia and Dudley followed, taking up seats near him as the bus took off with a jolt.

The spark of recognition would not leave Petunia's mind. As she watched the man leading them, his posture and expressions finally clicked. "I remember you, you and Lily used to play together before she went off to school."

"Indeed, although we did have a…falling out before we graduated." He didn't want to volunteer any information if he didn't have to. "Ahh, we're here." He hurriedly got off the bus before she could ask any questions about his past.

Several hours later they once again disembarked the Knight Bus onto Magnolia Crescent. Severus bid them goodnight and apparated away with a **CRACK**. Petunia was smiling as the pair walked home. She had discovered, when they went to Gringotts, that her parents had set up a trust fund for her when they thought she would go to Hogwarts, and had never done anything with it. With the accrued interest, it had a substantial sum of galleons, which she then turned into a trust fund for Dudley, as well as a small family vault for herself and Vernon. They had gotten robes and a number of introductory books to the wizarding world. In rare form, Dudley had hardly begged the entire day, but it could have been due to Snape's glares whenever he started. Petunia just hoped he could keep it up, since it was nice to have a whine free outing with her son.

The duo had just walked into Privet Drive as they noticed a moving van in front of their home, with some of Vernon's work friends moving what appeared to be Dudley's bed frame into it. As they got closer, they heard the men tell Vernon that it was all of it, and they drove off. Breaking into a run, she made her way back into her home. As soon as she entered she noticed something was wrong, as many of the things around the house were missing. It looked like it had been stripped bare of anything except Vernon's favorite things. A smug looking Vernon rounded the corner on them and sneered at them. "I will not be related to any freaks. You can find somewhere else to live. This is my house and I refuse to have your type under this roof." At their looks of disbelieve, he started again. "This should be enough money to hold you up for a month if you're smart about it. Now get out. Oh, and the moving van is due back by the end of the week." With that, he handed a wad of notes to Petunia and forcible pushed her and Dudley out of the house, locking the bolt behind them.

Not knowing what else to do, they got into the van and drove to a cheap motel, leaving Privet Drive behind forever.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the second week of lessons when the Kyuubi told Naruto to speak with Hiashi privately. After lessons that day, Naruto hung back and asked if they could talk alone, saying it was urgent. Then, with the Hyuuga head's consent, Naruto drew the seal that would allow Kyuubi to communicate and applied it to his stomach. 

To say that Hiashi was surprised when the brilliant blue eyes of the young boy turned blood red would be an understatement. He instinctively activated his doujutsu and stared in wonder as the red chakra of the demon bled out of the seal and into his face. A deep voice cut him out of his examination.

**"I have a proposition for you Hyuuga-sama."** Hiashi slowly nodded. **"I wish to take Hinata-san under my wing. I have already given my word that I would train both Naruto-kun and Harry-kun, with a stipulation that they be trained in a cell of 3. I wish for your daughter to take the final spot in my team."**

"Why Hinata, and does the Hokage know of this?" He was flabbergasted that the Kyuubi of all beings would instruct anyone, let alone three small children.

**"It was the Hokage's idea for a three-person cell. And as for Hinata, I refuse to teach just anyone, only those I find worthy. She works well with the boys, and has a strong work ethic. With your leave I would instruct them in the mornings in chakra control and theory. Once they had progressed far enough, I would allow others to teach what I don't know, so your precious style can be conferred upon her."**

As he thought about it, he realized how powerful his daughter could become, and quickly warmed to the idea. "Alright, I shall inform her of her training. When shall she meet you? And shall I inform her about your presence before hand?"

**"Please have her briefed about the situation. We will meet her out front of your complex Monday morning at 6am. Tardiness will not be tolerated." **With that Naruto removed the paper and politely excused himself from the complex to catch up with Harry.

* * *

1 Month Later 

The three new friends were sitting underneath their favorite tree once again, relaxing and remembering their training thus far. Harry's Japanese lessons were completed, and they all now had an extra two hours with Hiashi learning kanji every day. Naruto was taking to it the fastest, mainly due to the work he had put into drawing the seal which allowed their instructor to speak with them. The others weren't far behind though, and every day they advanced even further, absorbing everything the Hyuuga head threw at them at an astounding rate.

Their lessons with Kyuubi were going well, but not nearly as much as Hiashi's lessons. The main factor was it was difficult to listen to an instructor who couldn't show you with his own hands, and although he could put the image in Naruto's head and correct the others, it was slow going. They had finally learned all twelve of the regular seals to the point where they could run through all twelve in any order in under five seconds, an excellent speed for beginners.

The other problem in Kyuubi's lessons was that Harry, due to the abuse and malnourishment, had to train his body to be able to stand any of the physical workouts the other two were doing. He would try his hardest, and listen to Kyuubi, but his lack of muscle or stamina was holding them back. He had started taking extra physical lessons with Kotetsu and Izumo to try and catch up, and although it was progress, he was still behind. The demon wanted to do tree climbing next, now that his squad could actively find and access their chakra, but the lack of stamina could end up fatal for Harry if he were to fall and be unable to catch himself.

"Hey," Naruto said, getting the attention of his friends. "The Academy starts on Monday. I'm not sure I like the fact that we still have to go even though we're getting trained by Kyuubi-sama."

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure that the Hokage has a good reason for sending us. I'm sure that there are things we would learn there that Kyuubi-sama can't teach us." Hinata had broken out of her shell, at least around the two boys. She was still a nervous wreck around strangers though. "Things like history, or village specific knowledge."

**"She's right. That is one of the reasons you're going,"** the voice in the back of Naruto's mind spoke up. **"Also, it's a chance for you to make friends your own age, as well as hide how powerful you are. Remember that a true ninja hides his skills until he must reveal them, not because he wants to."** As Naruto relayed the information back to his friends, none of them noticed the stranger sneaking up on the group. They sat in silence until their worlds went black.

* * *

Harry sat up from his spot on the ground, holding his aching head and muttering under his breath. He looked around as he tried to dispel the stars in his eyes and saw Naruto still lying on the ground face first, a trickle of dried blood along the side of his face, and no sign of Hinata. He looked up as Izumo and Hiashi ran towards them. 

"What happened? Who did this? WHERE IS HINATA?" Hiashi was asking questions as fast as he could. He activated his Byakugan and scanned the area, seeing no one suspicious. "Kuso, they're beyond my range, which means they're probably nearing the border already. Kamizuki-san, take the boys to the hospital to get them checked out, I'll get a search party started." He ran off towards the Hyuuga complex.

Izumo nodded and picked up Naruto and moved towards Harry. As he got closer, Harry finally found his voice again.

"Where, where's Hinata-chan? Is she hurt?"

"We think she's been kidnapped, hopefully they haven't hurt her, but the longer we take to find her the more likely she is to be hurt. Now lets get you checked out at the hospital." He moved to pick him up, but stopped as a strange aura flared around him.

"NO, HINATA-CHAN CAN'T BE HURT, WE'VE GOT TO FIND HER, WE'VE GOT TO GO FIND HINA" **CRACK. **Izumo's eyes widened in surprise as the aura suddenly compressed around the boy as he shouted, and he vanished.

"Well, I guess I'll take Naruto to the hospital and report this to the Hokage then," he said to no one as he used _Shunshin no Jutsu_ and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

**CRACK**

Harry looked around himself after having felt the weird pressing feeling all over his body again. It hadn't been nearly as bad this time as it had when he came here. He looked up at three surprised faces. It isn't every day that a small glowing boy appears with a loud burst of noise and no chakra smoke. Just as they were recovering and reaching for their weapons, Harry noticed Hinata bound and gagged behind them, her eyes wide with fear. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" The aura surrounding Harry flared, and all three enemy shinobi were propelled away by an invisible force and into the surrounding trees. One was clearly knocked out as he had caught his head on a branch, while a second had his shoulder impaled by a broken limb. Only the leader hadn't been taken out of commission, and he was already making his way his way back to his feet.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" He reached to his back and unsheathed a small sword, before flourishing it to taunt the small boy. "I'll remove your head for that boy."

Harry's mind was screaming at him to get away from there, and to take Hinata with him. With his limited stamina, he knew he could never reach her before the enemy got to him. _I've got to get her out of here and somewhere safe!_ The aura flared again, and Hinata flew towards him, landing in his arms. She had time to manage a small gasp behind the gag before the pressure covered both of them and they vanished with a **CRACK**.

* * *

Izumo was standing in Naruto's hospital room, recounting what he had seen for the Hokage. It had been about ten minutes since the boy had vanished, and neither man knew where to start looking. Although Izumo had no idea what had happened, Sarutobi knew it was another burst of accidental magic. The boy had teleported himself again, and there was no way to trace where he had gone that he knew of. _Strong emotions indeed_ the aged leader thought with a smirk. He was brought out of his silent mirth when Harry and a bound Hinata appeared in the center of the room in another great **CRACK**. Harry looked around quickly, having gotten slightly used to the feeling, and whispered in her ear "You're safe now," before passing out from exhaustion.

* * *

Petunia Evans sat in her small living room in the flat she shared with her son Dudley overlooking Diagon Alley. The divorce had gone through quickly, and she had made no mention of any of the wizarding money she was in possession of. She had gotten a solicitor from the magical world, which had done magnificently in their case, and they had left Vernon with little more to his name than the house and his car. Most of Dudley's possessions had been sold or trashed, especially the electronics, since they didn't work around all the magic anyways. Dudley had been a bit put-off by this, but the prospect of a magical education had seemed to temper his selfishness a bit. She had gotten a job at Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions as an apprentice seamstress and had received her first wand, a swishy elm wand of thirteen inches with a Unicorn tail core, and had been receiving a basic education nightly from Severus. 

Severus Snape had helped her greatly since they were kicked out of Privet Drive, getting her the flat and wand, and helping her acclimate herself into the new world. The lessons had started when she invited him to dinner to say thanks, and it snowballed from there. They would talk about her sister and the memories they had of her, and she guessed about the feelings for her. As much as he denied it, her persistence caved him and he admitted that yes, he had held a very large flame for the elder Evans sister. He enjoyed the nights at her flat, although he would never admit it, since he didn't have any preconceived notions to live up to. Petunia saw him as Severus, the boy she had known in childhood, and nothing more. Not the potions master, not the Death Eater, and not the spy.

Petunia got up from her reminiscing to change into more formal robes for tonight, as she and Severus were going out to dinner, and, oddly enough, Mrs. Figg had agreed to watch Dudley for the night. It had given her quite a shock when she admitted her own magical heritage, squib though she might be. Her life was finally starting to look up again.

* * *

Harry woke up groggy, with the first rays of sunlight streaming into his window. He reached for his glasses and took a look around. Naruto was in the other bed of the room, and Hinata was no where to be found. Panic shot through him and he was just about to jump out of bed and start looking for her when the door opened revealing Hiashi. "Hiashi-sama, where's Hinata-chan? Is she alright? Did they hurt her at all?" 

A genuine smile played on the patriarchs face. "Calm yourself Harry-kun, she's just fine thanks to you. We owe you a great deal of thanks, as it took our scouts over an hour to find the spot you confronted them. Now tell me, what happened out there, it looks like you injured at least one of them if the blood was any indicator." He listened with rapt attention as the boy recounted his experience from the pressing sensation, to watching the grown shinobi fly backwards with just a shout from him, and watching as Hinata flew towards him. He would have played it all off as a child's tale if he hadn't heard much of the same story from Hinata, even the same pressing when they teleported. After the explanation, the Hokage came in.

"Well, Harry-kun, I do believe I've got a few things to tell you. You can listen as well, Hiashi-san, as I want your input, as well as your eyes." Both conscious occupants nodded, and they all made themselves comfortable. "You, Harry-kun, have a very special gift. It's so rare that I'm quite sure you are the only person in the Elemental Nations to have it. It's called a Magical Core, and like it sounds, it allows you to perform magic. What happened today, as well as when you arrived here, is called Accidental Magic, as you were not consciously trying to cause it to happen. It reacts to extreme longing or emotions, and therefore is quite unreliable in most situations. Are you following me so far?"

He looked around and saw nothing but wide eyes. Laughing slightly, he continued. "One of the privileges of being a Kage is knowledge of the lands outside the Elemental Nations borders. We are only a small area compared to the rest of the world, but we are the only ones who utilize chakra. We branched off from the magical beings many hundreds of years ago, and have since cut off all contact with each other. I have a little bit of information available, and I can see if I can find more for you, but I would like to train you to use this core to help protect yourself and others. Well, I'll leave you to think about this information, but I do have to ask you not to tell anyone about it, since, well, no one else can do it and I don't want jealousy to tear apart your friendships. Good day." Sarutobi walked over and mussed the still-stunned boy's hair before leaving to go and finish arduous combat with his arch-nemesis: paperwork.

Hiashi excused himself as well, promising to bring Hinata by for a visit later. Neither adult realized that though Naruto was unconscious, the Kyuubi could still hear every word. The great beast sat back in his cage and began pondering how to utilize the new-found information.

* * *

There you have the 2nd chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I know that my dialog is sub-par, and sometimes my ideas seem a little...out of it. I would like a beta to help me with this, and to help keep me on time.

I'd like to thank all 24 readers who took the time to review, as well as the 38 C2's that include my story.

Peace Out  
Lord Retro


	4. Chapter 03

I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.I would also like to thank "it walks alone" for beta-ing the first half of this chapter.

* * *

**4.5 YEARS LATER**

**13 AUGUST 1991**

Inoue Kazuhiko sat behind his rather extravagant desk, sweating profusely. He was the owner a number of bars all over Fire Country which is where he reportedly makes his rather large income. What the public doesn't know is that the majority of his money actually came from human trafficking. His bartenders would spike a woman's drink, and then have a planted man in the establishment flirt and lead her to a back room, where she would be kidnapped and shipped off to his headquarters. Once there, he would break their spirit and sell them to the highest bidder, and he had an Iwa med-nin stop by once a week to ensure that their bodies were in good shape. The man had been…persuaded…to help them out for the relatively cheap cost of one girl every six months. It was a slow operation by necessity, as he couldn't have too many girls go missing in a town, and he generally only received four to five girls a month from his nearly thirty bars.

The reason for his obvious discomfort at the moment took the form of a small slip of paper resting on the top of his day planner. _"We Are Coming For You. – ONI"_ The letters appeared to be written in blood, but he didn't want to truly find out. He sat there remembering the rumors, that whenever someone who dealt in the shadier aspects of business got one of these cards; they died within a week, no matter where they ran. The worst part was how everyone had died. There were no consistencies between any deaths, no signature move which meant, he deduced, they were dealing with a larger group of people instead of a lone mercenary or two. With that in mind, he had fortified his base of operations heavily with bandits and the few nuke-nin he could find on short notice. He knew the bandits would be slaughtered, but he hoped that they would at least get the word out that someone was there lest the ninja have to sit at the ready for up to a week. Most everyone he had hired was patrolling the grounds while the majority of the shinobi were stationed in and around his office. He only hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Asano Mayumi was terrified. A night on the town with her girlfriends had come to a screeching halt for her after the man she had been playfully flirting with led her to a back room. They had been kissing when she noticed her hands were moving sluggishly. As she went to say something, her eyelids became heavy and she lost consciousness. She had woken up bound and gagged in what appeared to be a warehouse with three other girls, similarly restrained. When she had started fidgeting, attempting to loosen the ropes binding her, a man had appeared and backhanded her across the face, telling her to stop moving so much. So she had sat there for what had to have been an entire day if she judged by the beams of sunlight that penetrated through the high windows. Twice they had been escorted to an old dirty toilet, and they had been given one decent meal, under strict watch, with orders that any sound besides chewing would lead to punishment. 

One of her captors, the one she had been flirting with she realized with no small amount of disgust, informed them that the truck would be there in an hour to take them to their new home, and that they had better behave themselves or else. He had been leaning on a stack of crates when he said it, and as soon as he was finished, she noticed a figure dressed all in black climbing down the stack like a spider. As the man sneered lecherously in the direction of one of the other girls, the figure reached him and, faster than she could see, snapped his neck before picking up his body and leaping to the top of the crates out of sight. A moment later the dead guard, now very much alive, reappeared where he had been standing. He glanced at all the girls and gave them a warm reassuring smile before he called out to one of the other captors to come help him with a particularly frisky girl.

Mayumi could only stare in horror as one of the other guards, the one who had hit her, appeared, and together with the dead guard, made their way towards her. "Why don't you give her a taste of what she's going to be doing from now on," the dead guard told his living compatriot. "I'll stand watch for you." With a glint of perversion in his eyes, the man started slowly making his way towards her while undoing the buckle of his belt. He had just freed the belt and was about to work the clasp of his pants when his face contorted to one of shock. He stood there a moment, before falling flat on his face, and Mayumi noticed a look of disgust on the face of the dead guard. Glancing down at the man who was about to rape her, she saw a small knife sticking out of the base of his skull. The first dead guard grabbed his newly deceased partner and jumped up on the stack of crates she was tied to.

Within seconds, both men jumped back down, and with another reassuring smile, the pair disappeared around a corner. A few minutes later they returned, joined by a third, the one who had delivered their meal. They stood in the center of the area and looked around for a moment before the first man closed his eyes and a forth figure, dressed head to toe in black, silently popped into existence beside him. Each of the four people in the center moved towards a bound girl. The man she had been kissing the previous day, and who had killed the man about to force himself on her, walked up to her with a kind smile on his face. He stood there, a meter from her, and studied her. Just as she thought that this man had just wanted the competition out of the way, he became an exact replica of her, even the bruise on her face from where the man had hit her. He/she moved quickly and released the gag and then went to work on the ropes tying her. Once she was free, he/she reached out a hand and helped her up, then guided her towards the center of the room.

"Please be more careful in the future. You were lucky tonight to be rescued, as many before you have been taken away to be sold into bondage. I have arranged safe passage to the Konoha Hospital so you can be checked out, to be certain that the drugs they used on you are gone from your system. Please live a happy life," The he/she that was her said. He/she then waved her arm towards the air, and a glowing red portal opened, revealing a hospital lobby. The other girls quickly made their way through, but Mayumi stopped, and turned towards her likeness.

"Thank You," was all she said before she gave her likeness a hug and a short yet passionate kiss. Giggling, she made her way through the portal as she contemplated what it was like to give herself a kiss. Glancing back one last time as the portal began to close, she saw the original three guards materialize and begin to restrain the 'girls', before an orderly began to lead her to an examination room.

* * *

Harry Potter was sitting in a small room full of partially clothed women, contemplating his next move. He had been lead here by the guards waiting in the truck bay of a complex hidden in a thick copse of trees somewhere in northern Fire Country. Had the imbeciles posing as security known who he was, they would not have been groping up the disguised shinobi. At the moment he was mentally cringing as he felt their wandering hands. The young boy of 11 sat on one of the cushions near the wall and put his face in his hands as he thought about how he was going to complete his mission, appearing to be a distraught young woman, which was exactly what he wanted. 

He knew what he _had_ to do, but since no one had given him the floor plan of the shady building, he needed to plan on the fly. He wove his energies into an illusion around his face before concentrating. _Byakugan_ he thought in his head, as the veins around his real eyes expanded with the sudden influx of chakra. Moving his head so he was staring at the wall opposite him, he studied the rooms and people in that direction, but was disappointed to realize that there was only a few storage rooms and a bathroom in that direction. He stood up, the illusions eyes red as though crying, and began pacing, taking in the complex as far as he could see. A barracks, small cafeteria, and the truck depot were the only rooms he could make out. He glanced upwards and saw only night. _Better be down_ he thought, thoroughly ready to eradicate the scum who could treat another human being this way. Glancing at the floor, he saw only dirt and rocks. _Shit!_

**_Harry-kun, I thought I saw something underground near the truck depot_.** the voice of Kyuubi sounded in his head. Harry perked up a bit, and made his way over to the wall closest to the depot and leaned his head against it, trying to get as close as he could. There, at the very edge of his range, was a hidden elevator shaft. He couldn't see where it led, but it was more of a lead than anything else. Deactivating his partial doujutsu, he finalized his plans. _Thank you, Kyuubi-sama._ he replied over the mental link.

He made his way over to one of his henge'ed kage-bunshin, he lent down and whispered his plan in its ear. Getting a nod, they both made their way towards the pair of grunts guarding the door. Sauntering their hips, they put on what they hoped to be inviting smiles as they attempted to get in close. "We're willing to do anything," Harry said with a feminine voice as he grabbed the hand of the guard on the right.

"Absolutely anything you want," his bunshin told the left guard as it put a hand on his chest.

"If you'll just let us out of here." Harry finished, ignoring the skin-crawling sensation of the hand on his backside. He stared up doe-eyed at the man he was attempting to seduce, watching as he had a silent conversation with the other grunt that was busy feeling up his bunshin. Apparently they came to a consensus and Harry's thug smirked and nodded before pulling him roughly against his body. As he leant down to kiss him, Harry moved his hand to the side of his face, stroking it slightly until he found the man's temple. Gathering chakra to his finger tip, he released it directly into his brain. The grunt paused as his eyes glazed over and blood began to flow from his ears, eyes, and nose. As the man fell, the memories of his bunshin flashed through his mind, telling him the man behind him was no more as well. Disentangling himself from grip of the dead guard, he mentally commanded his remaining 2 bunshins to dispel as he turned towards the room full of frightened women, catching sight of two puffs of chakra smoke in their midst.

His figure morphed as he removed the demonic henge he was using and stood before the assembled hostages in his black suit. The only part of him with color was his mask, porcelain the same color as his suit save for the bright green representation of a snarling oni. After taking in their appearance for a moment, he finally spoke. "Your captivity ends tonight, and your lives begin anew. Please do not let this stop you from living and loving." He gathered the required amount of demonic chakra from the seal on his stomach and forcibly molded it in his coils before he waved his hand and released it into the air. Immediately, a shimmering red portal opened just beyond his hand as he silently thanked Kyuubi-sama for teaching him how to do seal-less jutsu. He beckoned them towards the opening and watched as they all hurried through. Cutting off the flow of chakra, it sealed shut and the red haze it created vanished.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Harry, Naruto, and Hinata were sitting in an empty training ground near the house the boys lived in. For the past two months they had been learning how to manipulate their chakra without seals. It took a lot of practice, but it would have been much worse if they were firmly entrenched in using hand seals, instead of having just learned them. They had had to make a seal and learn how the energy flowed and collected through their bodies. Once they got the feeling, they would then attempt to recreate it without their hands. It was a slow process at first, but it slowly picked up speed as they grew more comfortable with moving energy in their bodies. The first seal had taken over a week to master, while it only took a few hours for the last of the twelve. _

_Today, Kyuubi had promised them a new exercise to build on what they had already learned, as well as increasing their already impressive chakra control (for their age at least), as well as chakra capacity. They stretched and warmed up for their day, and at precisely 6 am, Naruto channeled chakra to his stomach to allow the kitsune access to his face, having ditched the paper seal the week previous_

"_**Glad to see you've all warmed up. Today's exercise is tree-climbing.**__"_

"_But Kyuubi-sama," Harry started, "We mastered tree climbing months ago!"_

_Kyuubi let out a frightening laugh before he replied. "__**This is different. You will climb trees while molding your seals internally. Mold and release the chakra into the air while maintaining your grip and speed on the tree. This will help you make tree climbing more instinctive as well force you to make your chakra do multiple things at once. Start with tori. Now go!**__" Naruto pulled the chakra away and his face returned to normal. The three of them each faced a tree and began the tiring process. _

_It had taken six weeks to finally get a new exercise, which was, without surprise, water walking while molding random seals that Kyuubi would have Naruto shout out. Finally, after another month, they got to what they were waiting for: learning jutsu. From the Sandaime, they had received a scroll with the academy jutsu, a number of D-rank jutsu, as well as a single C-rank, along with instructions that as soon as they could show proficiency with all of them, a new scroll would be provided. _

_The trio diligently spent their time attempting to learn the techniques. It was extremely difficult at first to force the continued molding of the seals instead of just changing it from one to another, but once the Kyuubi relented and allowed them to do them with seals first to get the feel down, things progressed more smoothly. The only hitch they found was the _bunshin_. Hinata could make them, but neither of the boys could, as they kept overpowering them. They could manage to create stable ones if they made a group of fifty or greater, but it wasn't very effective for the most part. After a discussion with the Hokage, it was agreed that he would teach them a different bunshin variant once they managed the rest of the scroll. _

_Kyuubi kept them all relatively equal in that he refused to let any of them work ahead in the scroll before the others caught up. He claimed that at this point in their training, it would be more detrimental to have them all at different areas since he could only watch the area Naruto could see. There were a few times that the group had to wait, but for the most part, especially once they got going, they stayed relatively well paced with each other. _

_Once the first scroll had been completed, they returned it and gave Sarutobi and Hiashi a demonstration, nearly giving the men a heart attack when they did them all seal-less. After explanations and more demonstrations, they were taught the mizu-bushin, as well as given a scroll full of more D and C-ranked techniques. _

_While they had jutsu training in the morning, they also attempted the academy, although without nearly as much gusto. As expected, Naruto had been shunned by the instructors and aides, which spilled over onto Harry and Hinata. The mumbled comments about the heiress sullying herself with those worth less than dirt were ignored, and they attempted to glean as much as they could from the lessons. Tests came with genjutsu placed upon them, and they attempted to answer the questions that would have made a chunin take pause, all the while mentally watching their grade plummet. They had attempted to remove the illusion once, but had been accused of cheating, so they put up with it, knowing that their place in the ranks of the village was secure regardless of whatever the petty professor decided. _

_At night, Harry would have lessons in the Hokage Mansion to work on his magical powers. He had questioned keeping the lessons from his friends, as they were sure to notice his nightly absence, and was allowed to inform them. The reason for the secrecy had been that they weren't sure that they COULD train his powers without proper knowledge, and didn't want to get his friends hopes up. Nevertheless, the lessons had made progress, although his repertoire of spells was extremely limited to whatever the Hokage could think of that he had heard wizards could do, and any accidental magic Harry performed. They had worked on the feeling of the magic, similar to how they were learning seals, and eventually Harry could draw upon his gifts without the extreme emotions that were invoked by genjutsu the Hokage would cast on him. He had learned how to silence things, unlock things, make himself invisible, teleport, force things away from him, bring things to him, and levitate objects. Sarutobi had promised to check with a few contacts on the mainland to see if he could acquire any magical texts or even a wand, but had received no response so far. _

_End Flashback_

* * *

Harry reactivated his _Byakugan_ before magicking himself silent and invisible. With a great leap, he flipped up and used his chakra to grab hold of the ceiling. Hunkering low to keep from bumping his head on anyone he passed, he made his way to the nearest corner of the building, teleporting himself through the walls while using his eyes to scan for people. Reaching one of the strategic spots he had mentally calculated, he withdrew an exploding note and attached it to the load-bearing member. He kept this up until the entire building was rigged to come down with a burst of his chakra before moving towards the hidden elevator shaft. 

Upon reaching the hidden entrance, he once again scanned for targets before teleporting beside the wall of the tunnel and clinging with his chakra, not wanting them to be alerted to the use of the elevator. He ran down the long shaft before it opened up into a tunnel, which he then followed, still on the ceiling, to the hidden office of one Inoue Kazuhiko. As he neared the office, his vision picked up a rather large safe filled with cash, gold, and various other artifacts. He teleported inside bypassing the rather extreme traps set up in the hallway outside, and promptly made several kage-bunshin. The group work swiftly and within minutes all had been sent by portal to a room in the Hokage Mansion set up for this exact purpose, the contents to be sorted through by Sarutobi. Dispelling his doppelgangers, he once again attached himself to the ceiling and made his way to just outside the ante-chamber of the office.

Glancing about he saw two nuke-nin leaning beside the door, as well as a contingent of seven more in the ante-room proper. The office itself contained one final shinobi, probably of jounin level, he deduced, as well as his target. Deciding on his final plan for the night, he retreated down the hall a ways before making one final kage-bunshin and giving it the same silence and invisibility charms he was using. The pair stalked back towards the first door, and the bunshin waited on the ceiling as Harry teleported into the office on the ceiling, directly above and slightly behind his target, the silencing charm hiding the usual noise of the teleport, while he suppressed his chakra signature as far as he could. Pulling out a special kunai, he started his plan. Pulling the magic away from the charms on his bunshin, he willed the clone to drop down in front of the guards.

Immediately, a warning shout went out through the shinobi, and they all stood at the ready, prepared to protect their employer. As soon as all attention was on the door to the windowless office, Harry released the chakra in his hands holding them to the ceiling and unfolded his upper body. As soon as he was fully extended, he jammed the kunai into the base of Kazuhiko's skull, severing the spinal column and killing him instantly. He quickly pulled himself back to the ceiling and imagined himself back in the room where the women were held hostage, vanishing as the familiar feeling of being compressed covered him. Looking through the walls, he spotted a clearing outside and teleported to it. He took a moment to gain his bearings, then jumped into a tree and began running back towards Konoha, giving a negligent burst of chakra to the hidden explosives placed around the compound. There was a slight smirk on his face as the trees shook with released force.

* * *

Sōichirō Hoshi was extremely nervous. He had been hired by some business big-wig under the guise of protection from rivals. He showed up at the hidden compound along with a few others the man had hired, and were shown down to his office. It was a relatively easy job, he thought at first, especially since there were no windows in the office, and all the air vents were much too small to fit through, though he had trapped them anyways. For four days, they had waited, and yet nothing was happening. The only sound of the day had been a truck delivering a fresh batch of girls, along with the promise that they could each have one to do whatever they wanted with so long as he lived through the week. 

He was seated in the plush office at the moment, his turn on the rotation to guard the paranoid man. He refused to tell them who he was hiding from, and threatened to dock their pay if they asked. He sat there all day staring at a business card, sweating and shaking. Something about the card was sending warning bells off in his mind, but he couldn't place it without a good look. Finally, the man set the card down face-up and put his head in his hands. Glancing over, Hoshi discreetly read the card and immediately tensed. He had heard of ONI, everyone had, and yet no one knew anything. They had appeared about a year ago and slowly yet efficiently began 'taking out the trash' in Fire Country. The only description they had was from those who had been rescued, and they varied greatly in detail, save that they were commonly seen wearing entirely black with painted masks.

Cursing his employer mentally, he prepared himself for the coming attacks, feeling the need to be alert despite being the third line of defense. Sudden noise from the people out front and he became instantly alert, focusing in on the door and readying himself for action. He heard a noise behind him and spared a glance, noticing his employer face down on his own desk. He passed if off as fainting and zeroed in on the door as well. A moment later the door was rapped upon several times in the agreed-upon pattern, before opening to reveal one of the other nuke-nin hired that had been guarding the first door. "Guy appeared out of nowhere! All black and a green demon mask! Before we knew he was there, the bastard had killed Shigure. He looks in my way, waves his damn fingers, and vanishes in a puff of smoke. Just wanted you to be alert and let you know what's happening. Got two more guys standing guard and everyone else's on edge. Boss is alright, right?"

"Yeah, he just fainted. I'll wake him up and then we'll work up a new plan." He watched as the door closed and made his way back to his unconscious employer. As he neared the desk, he saw something he hadn't before, the handle of a kunai sticking out of his skull, the view of which had been obscured by the lamp from where he had been standing. A small tag was tied to the ring, and with shaking hands, Hoshi picked it up and read, "_I told you we'd come for you – ONI"_ Shouting, he ran to the door to inform the others. He hadn't made it halfway across the room before a great explosion sounded and the ceiling collapsed.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was reaching the limits of his sanity. For almost 5 years he had searched for the savior of the wizarding world, using all of his influence to keep the fact that a search was necessary hushed up. He had called in favors upon favors to try to locate the boy, but it twas all for naught. Nothing, not a single peep beyond the basic rumor-mill spotting's that been around since November of '81. Locater charms, scrying rituals, extensive man hours searching through every orphanage on the British Isles, as well as a great number in France, Spain, and Germany, with mass communications sent through the system looking for English speaking children all across Europe, and the closest he had come was a dark haired boy whose parents had been killed in an automobile crash in Switzerland. He had even attempted, in secret, a number of dark blood magic spells, but to no avail. 

All of the instruments he had tied to the boy were inactive or, as was the case with his pocket watch, unable to get a proper reading beyond "not dead" since they were tied to his life force. He had had a burst of hope when Minerva informed him that the boys name was indeed upon the Registry for Hogwarts, but it was fleeting, as she went to address his letter. Whatever magics was hiding Harry disrupted the spell created by the Founders to properly post an acceptance notification. With every try between the two of them, and even after they brought in Filius, the result was always the same.

_Mr. H. Potter-Uzumaki-Hyuuga  
Mr. N Uzumaki-Hyuuga-Potter  
Ms. H Hyuuga-Potter-Uzumaki  
Second Floor  
House Nearest Forest of Death  
Hidden Leaf_

None of them could comprehend the address of the letter. They had immediately began a search for anywhere referred to as the Forest of Death, and families with the surname Uzumaki or Hyuuga, but it was in vain. Despair set in once the tenth owl returned with the letter unopened. As Dumbledore stared forlornly at the latest failure, his familiar Fawkes, a brilliant crimson and gold phoenix, trilled softly before hopping onto the desk and picking up the letter in his beak. Shocked out of his internal tirade, the Headmaster spoke softly. "My friend, are you finally willing to help me find the boy?" The magical bird nodded slightly before taking to the air and vanishing in a burst of flame.

Dumbledore reached for the bowl of lemon drops he had been neglecting as of late as a smile set across his face. His plans would come to fruition, a spare was no longer needed, although having the Longbottom boy trained up a bit hadn't been a bad idea. The prophesy would be fulfilled, and if both boys which could be applied to the situation were strong, their chance of success was much greater. Granted, he'd have to ensure that they didn't become too strong and threaten his position at the top, but that would be years from now, and he would ensure it would not come to pass. His current thoughts began drifting to how to get the erstwhile boy under his wing. If the names on the envelope were any indicator, he had found family wherever he ended up, hopefully he had room for a wise grandfather-type figure in his life. He popped another of the sour sweets in his mouth before heading to the Great Hall for lunch to spread the good news. As he made his way towards the gargoyle guarding his quarters, he hoped that his last minute interview for the position of Muggle Studies Professor went well, as she had a glowing review from Severus, or at least as glowing as Severus could express.

* * *

Harry had just finished contacting his brother and sister through their mental connection and informed them that he would be running home instead of either using a portal or teleporting. It was the weekend, and he didn't have any classes at the academy to sleep through, and neither did the Hokage have any pressing matters for them to attend to. As was tradition, Kyuubi allowed them each a day off from extensive training after a successful mission so long as they did some sort of exercise for the day, and running across the country certainly counted as calisthenics. As he performed the near-instinctual gathering and releasing of chakra to leap from branch to branch, he let his mind wander as he stretched his senses to feel his surroundings. 

_Flashback_

_It had been just over two years since Hinata-chan and Naruto became his family in both blood and name. It had taken a bit of setting up, and a lot of cover stories and subterfuge, but they had done it. Sarutobi, Hiashi, Jiraiya, and surprisingly Yamanaka Inoichi had helped them out, along with Izumo and Kotetsu. Forming a kage-bunshin with pure demonic chakra allowed Kyuubi a brief respite from his prison, as he could project his consciousness through his chakra and into the manifestation, and thus the adults had planned. Using the accumulated knowledge of a demon, as well as the combined seal knowledge of the four adults, they had created a ritual to both ensure that the Kyuubi could never overpower Naruto, either intentionally, or through Naruto overdrawing his power, as well as bonding the three friends together as family. _

_As their training progressed under Kyuubi, Hiashi had come to realize that she could not be both heiress to his clan and member of Kyuubi's cell simultaneously, as the demands of both were too great to allow coexistence. Add in that the elders were furious over her befriending of the 'demon brat', and her lackluster grades at the academy, he had his hand forced to choose his youngest, Hanabi, as heiress. Extensive discussion with Sarutobi and Jiraiya, who had returned once his former sensei informed him of the Kyuubi taking, in essence, a genin team, lead to a plan. _

_With a heavy heart, he called his daughters before the clan elders and announced his official decision to place Hanabi as successor, before turning towards his eldest and placing a very much modified caged-bird seal upon her forehead. His heart broke when he saw the tears flowing down her face, for they hadn't informed her of their plan. With his last ounce of will-power, he declared her banished from the clan for associating with filth and besmirching the proud Hyuuga name with her actions. As she ran bawling from the complex, he felt a surge of anger at the satisfied looks upon the council members faces. _

_Later that night, just before midnight, he had removed himself from the compound and headed towards where he knew her to be. He met Sarutobi on the way, and the arrived shortly at the house where Naruto and Harry lived. They found the three children asleep in the living room, the boys arms wrapped protectively around Hinata, and there were dried tear tracks down each of their faces. He gently woke them up, taking the enraged outburst of the two boys in stride before asking to be allowed to explain himself. With a nod from the Hokage, they quieted down, still holding his daughter protectively as if to shield her from him. _

_He explained how it was done to protect her, how certain factions inside the clan wished her harm over her actions and friends. He explained that to be a clan head, she would have to give up everything she was training for and spend the majority of her days at home, working on keeping their family together and functional, that she would not get any but the most dire of missions. Finally, he talked about the plan to perform the ritual that would make the three of them family, and that should she desire, she could live with her friends full-time, and he would come by as often as he could to visit her, to prove that no matter what clan politics got in the way, she was still his beloved daughter. Once she understood, she had hugged him and forgiven him, and chastising Harry and Naruto when they didn't want to. Before he left for the night, he pulled her aside and removed the modified seal from her, freeing her of the curse._

_It had taken nearly a month before the ritual was ready. It had been designed to split the Kyuubi's power between multiple hosts. The adults had taken Naruto far into the mountains one day and had him draw on the demons power as far as he could. He had made it to three tails and was still able, with difficulty, to control the energies pouring out of the seal. When he went to pull the fourth tail of power, however, his world turned black, and when he regained consciousness, found himself sitting on scorched earth, the grass and trees in the area blackened, and a battered and bruised contingent checking him over. He found that when he blacked out, the chakra had lashed out in it's natural chaotic state, at everything nearby, with nothing in control. The Kyuubi had been powerless to wield it, and it was all he could do to keep the primal force from pulling more power. They had played a deadly game of keep-away for nearly twenty minutes before it had burned enough energy that the Kyuubi could pull it back. They all agreed that three tails was the most anyone besides a demon, a demon in complete control of his body to be exact, could control._

_For the children's part of the preparation, they had to find a sacrifice, as the only way the adults could find to split a soul was to summon Shinigami. The trio agreed that it had to be someone bad, and so they began to look at the bingo books. They struck pay-dirt with the newest update and set out towards Kiri, finding one Momochi Zabuza nursing his wounds after a failed coup. The group had already been on a number of B-ranked missions, and a few A-rank as well, their identities hidden behind the emotionless porcelain of the ANBU. They were not members, nor were they registered as shinobi of the village, but their secret training under the top instructors had yielded outstanding results. Combined, they overpowered the weakened nuke-nin and vanished, teleporting out of the cave they found him in just as his apprentice returned with more healing herbs._

_They performed the ritual at a hidden location on the mountain, near where they tested Naruto. The three children stood naked, their bodies covered with seals written in their combined blood. They were arranged in a line, with Naruto at one end, followed by Hinata, Harry, and finally the bound Zabuza. They began to form the hundreds of seals needed to summon a being as powerful as Shinigami, chanting their request over and over in the demonic language, as instructed by Kyuubi. Their chanting reached a crescendo as they finished the last seal, and with a flash of light, the frightening visage of death appeared behind Zabuza. As one, the three voiced their request to the higher being and waited for his answer. After nearly five minutes of thought, the great being thrust his arm into Zabuza's back. The spectral limb appeared through his chest and continued through Harry, then Hinata, and finally plunging into Naruto's stomach. _

_The four screamed in pain as they felt it's touch. Without warning, the crimson chakra engulfed Naruto, taking on the shape of all nine spectral tails. The hand began to pull backwards, and six of the tails moved with it, leaving three behind. It continued into Hinata, engulfing her within the chaotic energy, pausing for a moment, then continuing it's trek, once again leaving three of the appendages with the girl. Finally, the hand withdrew from Harry, leaving the final three tails with him. When it reached Zabuza, the hand pulled back sharply, a spectral Zabuza in it's grasp, before Shinigami faded from view. _

_The fiery chakra began to die down, visibly pulling into the seals on their respective stomachs. As the energies faded, however, they revealed changes in those that had been engulfed within them. The energy tails had become material, each the same color as their owners hair, which was now streaked with crimson at the temples. Their hands now ended in sharp claws, as did their feet. The final change they could see had occurred in their eyes. The whites of their eyes had become crimson, and their pupils blood-red slits. The iris, however, was unchanged, still showing the vibrant blue, intense green, and calming violet they had before. Exhaustion quickly settled in, and they passed out almost immediately. _

_The trio had stayed on the mountain nearly a month learning how to deal with their new bodies and powers. Their blood had quite literally mixed in the ritual, leaving quite a few surprises behind. Least surprising was the healing ability Naruto had always shown. The three of them could heal at a visible rate without conscious effort, and near-instantaneously if they pushed Kyuubi's chakra into it. While Naruto was the fastest, it would take an incredibly debilitating blow to permanently injure any of them. As soon as they realized that they had the healing, which Kyuubi claimed did not come from him, he could only amplify it, they began to get excited. _

_The next discovery was their telepathic link, which allowed the three of them to talk in each others minds, as well as send additional chakra, a great boon to Hinata who didn't have near the reserves as either Harry or Naruto. Kyuubi could also use the link, allowing the four of them to converse at any distance. Well, at least they hadn't discovered the edge of the distance yet the demon often had to remind them._

_After some trial and error, the boys learned they had gained Hinata's_ Byakugan_. While not nearly as impressive as hers, they still thought it was useful. They could not see the chakra networks, nor the tenketsu, and they didn't have the telescopic range or 359 degree field of vision, but they could see through things like walls and trees in the odd black and white. _

_Their final and greatest find, though, was when Kyuubi began examining them and discovered a working magical core in both Naruto and Hinata. The kitsune theorized that the magic in Harry's blood, when it was bound into the two non-magical beings, attempted to merge with them, and assisted by the incredible healing rate provided by the chakra coursing through their bodies during the ritual, grew a core and magical pathways inside them. _

_Once they had gotten used to their new abilities, the Kyuubi began instructing them on how to utilize their new demonic chakra in the mornings and afternoons, while Harry began teaching them to control their new and wild magic after dinner. They continued this way until all three of them could perform the demonic henge, a technique that utilized the chaotic power within them and physically changed their outward appearance. Using demon seals designed for the purpose attached to their clothing, they could alter the physical state of their attire as well, something utilized by demons who wanted to interact in the human realm. Appearing as they had before they ascended the mountain, they returned to the village to continue their training and resume their naps at the academy._

_It took them almost a year of intense training before they were called upon by the Hokage for a secret meeting. At midnight, in a secret room at the Hokage Mansion, the trio met with Sarutobi, Hiashi, Inoichi, Jiraiya, and a '_Kyuubi-Bunshin_' as they had taken to calling his mobile state. Sarutobi stepped forward and addressed them._

_"You three are some of the best our village has to offer. You have the talent, the dedication, and the support to be a truly exceptional team. In times like this, I'm ashamed of the village I love, for they will never accept you as you are. You have to hide behind masks to shield your true self from the ignorant masses. It is now time for you to step up and hide behind another mask, this time as your true selves." He paused and reached into his pouch removing three porcelain masks, each black as midnight and adorned with the visage of a snarling demon, painted the same color as their respective eyes._

_"You shall become my secret hands. You shall claim no village, you shall claim no alliance, and you shall claim no leader. With no village, you can go anywhere. With no alliance you can strike with impunity. With no leader there can be no reprisals. You shall strike with the utmost precision at that which plagues our lands. You shall strike where no village, no leader, no country, would be able to strike, at the hearts of their own, to remove the blackness consuming them. You shall carve out the cancer and leave the healthy tissue. No target shall be taboo so long as they have lost the best interest of those they serve, be they Daimyo of Fire Country or peddler on the street. You are shadow, the purging blackness, the cleansing flame. You are ONI."_

_His speech ended, the three children could only stare wide eyed as their leader presented them with their masks, upon which the leaf of Konoha was absent. As Sarutobi stood back, Jiraiya stepped forward and gave them each the mark of ANBU on their left arm, a special seal controlled by the Hokage to alert his teams to the necessity of their presence. Their demonic henge would hide it from sight when necessary. Inoichi stepped forward next and presented them each with a black armored body suit, and explained that both the suits and the masks already contained the seals to manipulate their appearance. Hiashi stepped forward last and presented them with the forbidden scroll, telling them that they had been given permission to learn the techniques within._

_After a small celebration, the trio went on their first mission to eliminate a corrupt politician who had used ill-gotten funds to keep close to the Daimyo in an attempt to sway him._

_End Flashback_

Harry was broken out of his musings as his senses went haywire. Directly in front of him, there materialized a ball of flame. Dodging around and preparing his favored weapon, Kubikiri Hōchō, a blade he had worked very hard to master. He had felt bad over the death of the nuke-nin. True, he had killed before, but Zabuza's death was not one on the battlefield. He was bound and he was sacrificed, and it had never sat quite right with him because of it, and so he used his blade as an odd memorial to his legacy. As he watched the ball of flame, it quickly dissipated and became a large bird, about the size of a swan, with a vibrant coloration of gold and crimson. The bird warbled softly in it's throat and Harry felt himself calming down, although he refused to drop his guard. He eyed it warily as it made it's way over to him until it perched on the branch next to him and extended it's neck, offering up the letter held in it's beak.

* * *

Petunia Evans set about unpacking her trunk in her new living quarters. She had never imagined that she would get to live within the hallowed walls of the great castle Hogwarts, but here she was, a professor nonetheless. True, it was only Muggle Studies, one of the lesser chosen electives, but she was still an educator, something she had always wanted to be. With the help of Severus, she had studied hard and taken her OWL's at the ministry last year, and had in fact just received her NEWT's results the previous week. She would never be a powerful witch, but she could hold her own, and her knowledge on theory was top notch, scoring O's nearly across the board. Her love of gardening that she had inherited from her father translated quite seamlessly into Herbology, and she had had a rousing discussion on the topic with Pomona Sprout during lunch before her interview, and she was left with a standing invitation to join her in the greenhouses before the students arrived. 

Her life had been going well since her discovery of the magical world. True, it had cost her a marriage, but she would claim it worth the loss. She had cared for Vernon deeply, but over the course of their marriage he had changed. They had had many an argument over Harry, and he would become verbally abusive if he thought she was being too soft on him. Never once had he laid a hand on her in anger, but she had acquiesced, and she had watched the last link to her sister fade under the watchful eye of her husband, scared that he may take out his anger on the child should she defy him.

Dudley had blossomed into a fine young man without the influence of his father. It had taken a fair amount of effort, along with a hefty helping of snide remarks from Severus, but her once spoiled son was now someone she was proud of. He had lost a great deal of weight, and although he was still husky, it was from a buildup of muscle he had developed as a beater in a youth Quiddich league. He had a large circle of friends, and his bullying had stopped once he had gotten a taste of his own medicine from some of the purebloods he had encountered. His Hogwarts letter had come two weeks previously, and they had already gotten his supplies, as well as a rigid 14 inch cedar wand with powdered unicorn horn. They still lived in the flat in Diagon Alley, although it would be empty for most of the year.

She had much to be thankful to Severus for, and they did spend a rather large amount of time, when he could spare it, together. He was relaxed and friendly in their home, or when they visited Spinners End, but only behind closed doors. Dudley had been informed that he should expect no special treatment from him in class, and that the behavior he exhibited around his family was not to be mentioned to anyone on threat of a months worth of detentions cleaning the nastiest messes he could concoct with nothing more than a muggle toothbrush. She truly liked the man, and considered him her best friend. They had tried their hand at a relationship, but had ended it mutually when they realized that romantic feelings just didn't exist between them.

Her own circle of friends was quite large, a side bonus of working with a popular seamstress for several years. They were mostly muggleborns and halfbloods, although there were a few of the neutral and lightsided purebloods mixed in as well. As she finished putting the finishing touches on her room, she went to the bathroom to prepare for her nights date, a halfblood widow named Jeffery Boots she had been seeing for the past several months, who was taking her out in celebration of her new job. Dudley and Jeff's son Terry were spending the night with their mutual friend Cedric Diggory, a boy two years older than them they had met through the youth Quiddich league.

Taking one last glance at her quarters, she started towards the entrance to make her way to the apparition point, her mind already detailing her lesson plans.

* * *

Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was currently sitting in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour along with her niece Susan and her best friend, Hannah Abbot. They had just finished shopping for the girls first year at Hogwarts, and were enjoying the cold treat on the warm August day. Hannah was staying with the two for the last few weeks leading up to September, and Amelia had taken the whole weekend off, and they were going to enjoy girl time. They were about to leave when a burst of fire above the table revealed Dumbledore's phoenix. Grumbling about what the old codger felt was so important to send a phoenix of all things, she accepted the small scroll without much thought. 

As she went to actually open said scroll, she realized that it wasn't addressed to anyone. Suddenly wary, regardless of the extremely light sided delivery, she cast a wide array of detection charms. Once they had come up clean, she carefully opened the scroll to read a very neat letter that looked to have been written with a calligraphy brush instead of a quill.

_To Whom It May Concern,_

_The bird who delivered the scroll to you also delivered a letter of acceptance to one Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, addressed to my siblings and myself. As none of us have heard of said school, we require more information about both credibility and level of education received before we can acquiesce to enroll. We do not desire to be preached to about how wonderful a place it is by someone biased, and so I have enlisted the help of this bird to find a respectable neutral party in which to inform us enough to make a decision, as it seems to be able to teleport both itself and other people. _

_I am requesting that you spend the weekend with the three of us, to allow us ample time to make an informed decision. We shall pay you for your time, regardless of our decision. _

_Sincerely,_

_The Potter-Uzumaki-Hyuuga Family _

Amelia read through the incredibly formal letter several times, searching for hidden meanings or political agendas, and came up empty. Finally, one word broke through to her. _Potter_. She had helped Dumbledore out on his search for the missing hero, allowing him to burn up all the favors she owed of him, and leaving her free of his influence. She ran a quick mental checklist of what supplies she had on her, as well as anything that she needed to do that weekend. As she came up with nothing, she decided to help, to see if it was truly Harry Potter as she believed. Looking up, she saw Fawkes was currently enjoying the attention of the two girls, cooing in content as they gently stroked his plumage.

Getting the birds attention, she asked, "If I agree, can Susan and Hannah come with me?" A nod. "Fine, then I agree. Let us get situated and we shall be off." A chirp followed by another nod, and Amelia shrunk all their bags and placed them in her pocket. Getting her wand ready, the three of them each grabbed a tail feather and vanished in a burst of fire.

* * *

As the fire vanished, she found herself and her charges standing in a clearing in the woods, the sun almost set on the horizon. A flick of her wand and the glowing numbers 21:17 appeared. As they had left at shortly after noon, she assumed they had gone rather far to the East for the time difference to be that much, presumably around Japan. Just as she was about to call out, a figure dropped down from the trees, garbed in a green shirt and black pants, right in front of her. She readied her want as the figure spoke. 

"You are the neutral party I requested?" The boy's voice was deeper than she would have expected for one who had just received their acceptance letter, with a slight Asian accent, furthering her Japan belief. At his inquisitive gaze, she nodded, although she still didn't drop her wand. "You got here faster than I thought you would. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow at the earliest. It's not a problem, but we'll have to camp for the night as it's not safe to travel the woods at night. I have a tent nearby, and there's a stream if you wish to bath. I also have some food if you're hungry. Come on, it's over this way." He gestured with his hand, and then began walking. The witches followed him carefully, and within a few moments heard the rushing of the stream he had spoken of. They walked into a rather bare camp, with a small two-person tent, a fire pit with a log next to it, and nothing else. Turning back towards his guest, he had another question. "Do you have more clothes with you? Something lighter hopefully, as we're still a five hour run from the village, and those look like they'd boil you when the heat starts up." He watched amused as they processed his question.

Finally, the blonde haired girl responded. "You mean we have to run? And for like how many hours?"

Harry laughed, "If you can't make it, I'll carry you. It's not that big a deal, or we can walk, but that would take the whole day to reach the village even if we set out at dawn. As for the clothes, if you don't have any, I have some of my sisters outfits in my supplies, or you can just deal and wear boy clothes for a few hours."

At the mention of clothes, both of the younger girls perked up. "We don't have anything too light with us, so I guess we could try your sisters stuff. Why do you have it with you anyways?" The redhead asked this time.

"Honestly, it's because you never know when something is going to get wrecked, and it helps if we each have something for everyone. She has outfits for my brother and myself in her supplies as well. How about you, ma'am?" He turned his attention to Amelia.

"Oh, I can just transfigure my robes into something comfortable no problem." She waved her wand and changed her outfit into something similar to what he was wearing to prove a point, before turning it back. "See, easy as pie."

"You can alter clothing with magic? That's great, we never thought of that."

"It's transfiguration, the art of turning one object into another, it's something you can learn at a magical school," she informed him, going into lecture mode briefly as she remembered why they were brought out here.

"Amazing. Well, we should probably get ready here. I have another tent in my supplies, so the three of you can use them tonight. I still need to finish setting the perimeter traps, so you can wash up while I get that set up, and then we can start our discussion." He pulled a scroll from a small pouch on his hip and unrolled it part way before stopping at a strange marking and putting his finger on it. With a puff of smoke, another tent was lying on the ground ready to be assembled. "Oh, before I head out to set those traps, I forgot to ask your names."

The younger two girls giggled a moment, before the redhead spoke up. "I'm Susan Bones, and I'll be starting at Hogwarts this year."

The blonde quickly followed with a "And I'm Hannah Abbot, going to be an ickle firstie as well." before the two broke into more laughter.

The older woman just shook her head and sighed. "Don't mind them, they just ate a large amount of sugar. But I'm Amelia Bones, Head of the Magical Law Enforcement for the British Ministry of Magic. Susan is my niece."

The boy smiled at them. "Pleased to meet you. Tomorrow you'll meet my sister Hinata Hyuuga, and my brother Naruto Uzumaki," Hannah interrupted him before he could say more.

"How can they be your brother and sister if they have different names?"

"We performed a bonding ritual. We were practically siblings before and now we actually share blood," Susan interrupted this time.

"What about your families?"

"Naruto and I are orphans, and Hinata was banished from her family for 'besmirching their honor' by hanging out with us. She chose her friends over a stuffy clan, although her dad and sister still come over all the time. Well, I'm off to set up the traps, I'll get the tent upright when I get back." He turned around and began to walk into the underbrush until Susan called after him.

"You never told us your name!"

Turning around he put a hand behind his head and scratched it gently. "Sorry about that, I'm Harry, Harry Potter." He resumed his track back into the woods leaving three open mouthed witches in the clearing.

* * *

Wow, I'm so sorry on how long that took. My only excuse is in the form of life, writers block, and a corrupted stick of ram that took almost three weeks to replace. 

If you don't like what I did with the ritual and the splitting of powers, I'm sorry, but that ritual and split was the original basis for this story as I concocted it in my head.

I'd like to thank all 55 reviewers I got last chapter. I won't name you all here, but I did my best, and will do my best on future reviews, to answer all of them. If I don't answer a review, it's probably because it was incredibly short and I had no idea what to say. If that was your review, this is your thank you. THANKS!

P.S. Whoever tells me where I got the random never gonna see em again people names wins a crack cookie. (No drugs involved, just addicting, like crack!)

Here's hoping I get the next chapter out faster than this one.

Peace Out  
Lord Retro


	5. Chapter 04

I do not own Harry Potter.

I've had a busy year, what with moving twice, 2 new jobs, a promotion into management, and a new baby. Plus, my computer hasn't cooperated. I found this when I was getting ready to reformat and decided to post it. I'll re-post the truly completed chapter once I finish it, but I decided my fans have waited long enough and I should give them something. I'm sorry if there are formatting errors as my laptop is a bit quirky at times.

As soon as he was out of sight, Harry created a dozen shadow clones and delegated half of them to create traps, and the other half to evenly spread around the camp at a half-kilometer radius activating their Byakugan in staggered intervals. Nodding to himself in satisfaction as his doppelgangers set to work; he made his way towards the river to catch dinner. It only took him a few minutes to procure several fish, and he then returned to camp. When he arrived back in the clearing, he had to stifle a laugh at his potential classmates' situation. They had apparently decided to attempt to put the tent up themselves using his as a model. The two girls were fighting a losing battle while the older woman watched, amused, from the log beside the now lit fire pit.

"_I brought some fish for dinner, I hope that's alright. If it's not, there's some ramen in my supplies_." He sat down on the log and began to clean the fish with practiced ease. Within minutes, he had them on sticks cooking over the fire, and had used several tricks to keep the smoke and smell from drifting away and alerting the surrounding forest to their presence. He decided to have pity on the girls and helped them correctly set the tent up. The females all took up spots along the log, while Harry checked on the fish. Glancing up and noticing no room for him, he announced that he was going to grab another log, as he got up, Amelia Bone's voice stopped him.

"_Since I'm supposed to be helping you decide about your magical education, this is something I learned at Hogwarts_." She removed a small stick around 29 centimeters long, and waved it in an intricate pattern while mumbling under her breath. As she reached the end, a burst of light flew out of the end of the stick and a cushy chair appeared at the ground in front of Harry, who had taken a defensive position. She then gestured the other two girls off the log, and another intricate wave later, the log had become a matching sofa.

"_Conjuration and Transfiguration. Creating matter and rearranging matter respectively. At my current power, the chair should be gone by morning, while the sofa would likely not revert back for upwards of two days, as conjuration is a form of advanced transfiguration and therefore requires much more energy to maintain. Since the majority of the sofa frame is wood, it requires much less energy to simply reshape the wood than it did to change the wood and bark into cushions and fabric. Granted, you will learn this in practically any magical school, but the Hogwarts transfiguration instructor, Professor McGonagall has a Mastery in her field and is the most powerful Transfiguration Mistress alive, and in the top five all around in the world. Teaching moment over, how much longer on dinner, the smell is intoxicating._"

Harry stood transfixed, still staring at the very out of place furniture now occupying the clearing. He had heard her explanation, and was sure the Kyuubi had as well. His mind shifted into overdrive as he thought about the many possibilities from this branch of magic. When she repeated her question about the fish, he shook himself from his thoughts. He walked back over and checked the fish once more and, finding them satisfactory, began handing two sticks apiece to his guests before grabbing two for himself. A quick "Itadakimasu." and he dug in. He was over half-way through his first when he looked up and noticed that the women were just staring at the food that was still staring back, albeit blankly. "_If you want something else, I've got some ramen. Not as good as fresh fish, but it'll tide you over 'til we get to town_."

"_We're not quite used to eating our food this way. Most of our fish is breaded and fried_." Amelia responded. She took a hesitating nibble on the fish's belly, and smiled as the flavor rolled over her tongue. She was soon munching away happily. Susan was the next brave one, and jumped right in taking a large bite. All eyes then turned to Hannah.

"_I'm sorry, but I just can't get over the fact that it's still looking at me. What was that ramen you mentioned? I've never heard of it_." She looked down embarrassed.

"_Heh, don't let Naruto hear you say that. He loves his ramen more than is probably healthy. Anyways, ramen is noodles with soup, meat, and vegetables. The stuff I have is instant, so it's not as good as the fresh stuff at Ichiraku's, but it's still pretty good_." He stabbed the stick from his uneaten fish back in the ground and made his way to the bag containing his supplies. He pulled the scroll out again and activated a different seal. When the smoke cleared, there was a large pile of cups. Harry grabbed one and then put his hands back on the scroll, the remaining cups vanishing back into the seal. He unwound to a new marking and unsealed a teapot. He was about to head to the river when he had an idea. "_I don't suppose you can create water magically, can you?_" Amelia gestured him over, pointed her wand at the opening, and one _Aguamenti_ later he was ready to put it on the fire. "_The ramen will be ready three minutes after the  
water boils. I doubt your fish will go to waste_." He laughed when Susan nabbed one of Hannah's fish and took a bite before claiming the last after a nod from Amelia.

As Hannah was the only one to not occupied by food at the moment, she took the time to ask a question that had been burning in her mind. "_How did you make that stuff appear out of the parchment? I've never heard of magic that could do that before_."

Harry swallowed the bite in his mouth before responding. "_It's called a storage scroll. The designs are in a very precise pattern called a seal, and when you add energy to them, they convert whatever is on top of them into energy and store it. To get your item back out you simply apply more energy. The symbol in the center helps you figure out if it has something or not. These were made to display the kanji for whatever was sealed inside when it's stored, so you don't have to remember. The basic ones just have a full or empty mark_." He didn't tell her that he had made them himself. Training under Jiraiya had the added bonus of him learning seals. All three of the siblings were more than proficient in their use, but Harry had found a calling and was steadily working towards becoming a Master.

"_What kind of energy? Is it magic? And how do you move it without a wand?_" This time it was Amelia asking. Harry took another bite of fish as he decided how much to tell them. It wasn't that he wanted to keep secrets, but he also didn't want to announce all of his abilities to outsiders. He figured they'd end up seeing a big demonstration onthe run to Konoha, so he should just tell them the basics that all the shinobi nations knew.

"_It's not magic, it's called chakra. It's a blending of the physical and spiritual power contained within all living things, and is necessary to continue living. Everyone has it, even civilians, but you have to train to grow your reserves enough to do anything, and start from a young age at that. You can circulate it throughout your body to strengthen muscles and either attract or repel objects. You can also force it out of your body to manipulate the world around you in the form of Jutsu._" As he finished his explanation, the water was ready, so he poured it into the ramen cup he had grabbed earlier and placed a small rock to keep the lid down. "_I'm afraid that's all I can tell you about it at the moment, as it's not something you'll ever really need to know about, and as outsiders, you already know more than most_" He then went back to his fish and continued eating. The only sound heard for the next few minutes was chewing until it the ramen finished. Without a word, he handed the cup over along with a set of chopsticks. He watched on as she attempted to eat, and just as he was about to step in and show her, Amelia pointed her wand at it and they became a fork. The rest of dinner was finished in silence.

After dinner, Amelia began her explanation after Harry assured her That he would be able to accurately describe it to his siblings, who were actively listening in over their shared bond. The rest of the evening passed quickly with questions, answers, and the occasional interjection from the younger girls. They explained the core classes and their Hogwarts instructors, and the girls excitedly informed him about Quidditch and Amelia informed him that his father had been a star Chaser in his day. From there, the topic moved on to his parents as the older witch told him of several of the stories she could recall. She had been three years ahead of the Marauders, so she had plenty of stories. She had also worked with James in the Auror corps  
on occasion before he went on leave to go into hiding. Harry learned a lot that night, and even got another laugh when the girls needed to use the loo.

As the fire died down, they prepared for bed. Since they were only 2-man tents, he had offered his to Amelia and the spare to the girls. A quick comment from Hannah that they could share a tent and Amelia and Susan could share the other got a laugh out of Harry and a glare from Susan. Declining the offer with a smile, Harry bid the ladies good night and lay down upon the transfigured sofa. Closing his eyes, he delved into the bond to speak with his siblings.

_So, what do you guys think of the explanation so far?_

_From what I can tell, it seems to be mostly energy manipulation. Everything with a wand. Over specializing will get them killed in a real battle,_ came the response from Naruto. _All their opponent  
needs to do is remove the wand and they are severely hindered_.

_Even more so if they rely on their magic as much as it sounds like. The basic spells she was describing make it sound as if they view magic as a convenience rather than a tool. I want to find out just how much they truly do without their magic sticks involved._ Hinata's ire was obvious. Coming from one of the major clans, she remembered just how arrogant her former family and their peers were. They viewed their gift as though it made them better than the rest, instead of merely differently talented. Hyuga's especially were prone to overconfidence in their supposed 'all seeing eye'. They refused to allow their members to learn anything but the clan teachings beyond what was necessary to complete the academy. _From what I've heard so far, the society seems rife with laziness. Don't walk across the room, summon your book. Why make your bed, wave your wand and watch it happen. Did you see how frightened they looked at the thought of  
having to run?_

_That's the vibe I got as well. Still, that doesn't mean we have to conform to their standards of lazy living. WE can still take the physical route even if we know the easy way while at school_. Naruto,  
it seemed, had already decided to go, if the sound of his thoughts were anything to go by. But he always was the more impulsive of the three.

_**Naruto-kun, you should go and ask for advice from Sandaime-sama. He may not wish for us to bring three outsiders into the village, especially if he has yet to meet them**_.

_Hai, Kyuubi-sama_ The part of the bond they identified as Naruto faded into the background as he stopped actively feeding chakra into it.

The silence in the bond was broken by Hinata. _Was it just me, or were those girls rather, well, excited to be meeting you Harry. They were so surprised by his name, and you can practically hear the awe and adoration in their voice when they talk to you. It's almost like they had a crush on you before they even met you._

_**Indeed, kit. Their body language practically screams adoration. The looks they give you when you're focused on the elder are similar to what those annoying classmates of yours give the Uchiha scion. Not nearly as rabid, though. Thank the creator for small miracles.**_

_I'll have to remember to ask about it in the morning._

_Please Harry, do try to have tact when you do it. Most young girls don't like it when you confront them on their secret gazing. Or at least the few Uchiha-groupies didn't seem to. I know you're a boy, but please try not to embarrass them_.

Any further conversation was stopped when Naruto brought himself back into the bond. _I spoke with Sarutobi-sama. He wants you to bring them to the Valley of the End. From there we will decide our attendance. Should we accept, we will continue back to the village proper to go over the documents necessary for a long-term deployment, even if no one but Hokage-sama will ever see it. If we are to decline, they will be asked to leave, and escorted out of Fire Country if necessary. Hinata and I are to accompany Hokage-sama, as are Hiashi-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Inoichi-sama._

_Arigato, Naruto. We'll see you in the morning. Goodnight all_. The others said their good nights and the bond slowly returned to its normal faded feeling. They could send quick messages to one another no problem, just think of what they wanted to say, add a bit of chakra, and it was done. Actual conversations, especially between the three of them, required a significant amount of concentration and they were loathe to do it in enemy territory simply because outside stimulus faded into the background when one immersed themselves. A side benefit of immersion was hearing everything that another bond member heard. It took even more mental effort, and they would never attempt to listen in unless they were in a secure area, but it was extremely beneficial at times. The Kyuubi himself could shift his consciousness through the bond at ease, hearing as well as seeing through whoever he dwell was just about to sleep when he heard a rustle of fabric and a soft padding of feet making their way to the couch. Sitting up, he saw Susan heading towards him, and beckoned her to the seat beside  
him. She sat down carefully and for a few moments no one said anything, just staring into the embers of the dying fire. "_Couldn't sleep_?" Harry asked her, breaking the silence and causing her to refocus on him. She shook her head and then leaned back on the couch, tilting her face towards the stars.

"_I'm not used to sleeping out of doors. The smells, the sounds, they're a bit too much for me. I've never been camping, or even outside much at night. Hannah has been out a few times, her mother is muggle-born and they took a few camping trips as a family over the years. As for Auntie, she's used to being out in the field and such, so this is no big deal for her. I'm completely out of my element. Plus, I never thought my first time being out in the great wilderness would be with THE Harry Potter_"

"_Whoa, back up a moment. What do you mean THE Harry Potter?_"

"_I mean that I'm sitting out here on a couch in the middle of nowhere with the biggest celebrity of my age group, and quite a few other age groups as well. The next big thing since Headmaster Dumbledore_."

"_Celebrity? How could I have possibly become a celebrity in the six years I lived in England_,"

"_You defeated You-Know-Who! He was the worst dark lord of recent history. He and his followers killed countless people, including my parents. It's why I live with Auntie_."

"_You mean that man who killed my mother? He fired a spell at me; it hit my head, ricocheted, and slammed back into him. I didn't know he was a dark lord, I just thought he was a bandit or a psycho of some sort_."

"_Merlin, you remember the attack? How? You were only just 15 months old!_" She was staring at him with open shock. His senses went on full alert for a moment, and he stifled his reaction to incapacitate her when she threw herself at him, hugging with all her strength. "_How awful it has to be to see your mum die. My parents were caught in an attack on Diagon Alley while I was with Auntie, and I still cry at times, even though I don't remember anything of them_."

He rubbed gentle circles on her back as she clung to him. Mentally, he fought with how to deal with this. She was an orphan just like him, and it wouldn't seem fair, at least to him, to tell her about how he had gotten his early childhood memories when she couldn't do the same. In a burst of inspiration, he remembered that Inoichi still owed him for covering his ass the last time he went out and got drunk with the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Deciding on his course of action, he leaned his head down. In as soothing a voice as he could muster, he whispered directly into her ear. "_I don't remember the attack; my accessible memories don't start until I'm nearly four. What happened is a Mind Walker went through my head and brought certain memories to the surface. They aren't nearly as vivid as a true memory, and certain spots might have faded. He found lots of memories for me. Some of my parents, others of their friends, some are just their voices talking to me, while others are soundless sights. Very few are whole enough to both see and hear what's happening. I'll tell you what, the man who released the memories for me is going to be at the meeting tomorrow. He owes me a favor, and if you want, I can call that in to see if he can find some memories of your parents for you. I won't make a promise, but I will ask. Would you like that?_"

The girl holding onto him buried her head into his chest as she nodded fervently. She was crying enough that Harry just held her until she passed out from exhaustion. Readjusting them slightly, he drifted off to sleep, not wanting to wake the sleeping preteen. He'd ask more about his fame in the morning.

--oOo--

**OMAKE**

The 5th Year Gryffindor/Ravenclaw class were preparing for their final lecture before the spring hols. The door to McGonagall's office opened and the prim teacher entered, silencing the class. Her gaze drifted over the assembled students, as if daring them to let their excitement for the upcoming break disrupt the class.

After she was satisfied, she turned back to her desk and shuffled through her notes, the ruffling of parchment the only sound in the room. Finally, nearly two minutes after she had entered, she spoke.

"The OWLs are nearly upon us. This class is progressing nicely through the material I had wanted to cover so far. As such, I am allowing a bit of reprieve. I will ask a single question, and whoever among you answers correctly will be exempt from the essay I will assign at the end of class."

She gave the students a moment to digest the information. The gleam in their eyes at the thought of no homework almost brought a smile to her face. The look on Hermione's face DID bring a small smile. She was obviously conflicted about wanting to answer correctly and perhaps missing a small but vital piece of information in the research for her assignment.

When the students started to flip through their books, she had to interrupt. "The answer will not be in your textbook, it will only have been found through self-study outside of the curriculum." Many of the Gryffindors moaned in defeat, while the majority of the Ravenclaws affixed self-satisfied smirks. The only student so far who had not responded one way or another was Hinata Hyuuga, who sat with her usual calm demeanor. Even Harry and Naruto Uzumaki looked excited, even if it wasn't as pronounced as their housemates.

"Now, we still have a lecture to attend to. The question is this: Where am I tattooed? You have until the end of the period to answer." Professor McGonagall then moved towards the blackboard to begin the notes for the lecture.

Before chalk could touch board, the office door slammed open and a second McGonagall stormed out with a look that would have caused the Whomping Willow to cringe in fear. "Harry James Potter! What on earth are you playing at?" Those nearest the door noticed the loose ropes just inside.

The class as one looked at where the raven-haired student was sitting just in time to see him burst into smoke. Those quicker on the uptake (and who knew about some of the abilities of their resident celebrity) quickly turned towards the board as their strict professor warped and wavered and became a very nervous looking Potter.

"Um, April Fools?"

"April fools is next week Mr. Potter, try again"

"I would have made sure they learned the information, I promise. I snuck a Kage Bunshin into the other lecture just to make sure! And I would have let you go as soon as they left."

"Sit down, Mr. Potter. We shall discuss your punishment after class." She then proceeded with her lesson as though nothing unusual had occurred. She was asking for any questions on the assignment when Hinata raised her hand.

"Yes Miss Hyuuga."

"A hummingbird on your left shoulder blade, and a cat that bears a striking resemblance to your animagus form on your right calf."

Silence filled the room as the class processed what the normally quiet girl had said, and almost as one realization dawned.

At the front of the room, Professor McGonagall tried to regain her composure. Deciding no response was the best response, she again asked if there were any questions, pointedly ignoring the Hyuuga's raised arm. After no more relevant questions were forthcoming, she gave in. "You have a question that applies to the work, Miss Hyuuga?"

"Yes ma'am, I was just wondering if I still had to complete the essay?"

The class watched with baited breath as their professor struggled for words. With a defeated voice, the transfiguration mistress conceded defeat. "No, Miss Hyuuga, you don't." She then walked down the rows of desks until she came upon Harry. "Class dismissed, Mr. Potter,you come with me." She then drug Harry into her office by his ear, slamming the door behind them.

--oOo--

**Omake to the Omake  
**

As the door slammed shut behind her, McGonagall warped and wavered and became Hinata Hyuuga as the Harry she had been dragging puffed into smoke. Waving her hand, she opened a demon portal to the empty classroom she and her siblings had claimed back in first year. Firing a finite and then an enervate at the stunned and disillusioned professor lying on the desk, she walked through.

"And the Weasley twins don't think girls can pull pranks," she said to herself as she got to work on her assignment.

Fin

==oOo==

The picture that spawned this was of a 50's housewife with the caption "Guess Where I'm Tattooed?"

Peace Out

Lord Retro


	6. Farewell

Alas, the time has come where life has become much more important than Fanfiction. I've loved reading the hundreds if not thousands of stories, and even trying my had at writing myself.

Unfortunately, between my new job, my wifes job, and a toddler, I'm not going to have any time to myself for a very long time.

I've been a Fanfiction Addict for a number of years now, sacrificing sleep, putting a strain on my relationship, and missing out on a large number of moments in my son's early life. I'm putting it away cold turkey.

My stories will be left on the site for people to enjoy, but I will be turning all my alerts off.

There are many great authors on this site, and I'm honored to have read their works. I'm also honored by the number of people who have enjoyed my work and let me know about it in reviews and private messages.

If anyone would like to continue one of my stories, please send me a PM and we'll talk.

Peace Out (for the last time)

Lord Retro


End file.
